flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and processing

Premiere: March 6, 2015, Montréal / Nouvelles Musiques 2015: 5 Waves, Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur, Montréal (Québec)

To Meitar Ensemble

Air—spring—febrile
Fire—summer—energetic
Earth—autumn—melancholic
Water—winter—phlegmatic

This work in four linked movements is developed around the four elements: air, fire, earth, and water. According to the ancient alchemists, these constituents are present in all that exists, and are connected, among other things, to a season and a particular mindset. Each of them also awakens different aspects of the soul, respectively: reason, intellect, senses and imagination. I drew inspiration freely from these evocative principles to compose this music in which the sound is treated as malleable and living matter. The instrumental musical flow is enhanced by an electroacoustic part that combines fixed and live generated sounds, all under the control of the flutist.