Pas de deux

This strikingly original work was written in 1994 for the saxophone competition at the Paris Conservatory. The player needs two instruments, a soprano and a tenor saxophone. He is accompanied by a solo soprano, which requires special skills of interaction. The text is by the French absurdist poet Antonin Artaud and is based on the idea that everything is illusory. The poet’s disillusioned text is portrayed by the soprano and the tenor saxophone imitating the voice of the poet. In interlude sections, the soprano saxophone and the singer play dream-duets in which the singer uses her natural voice. The soprano plays chimes at points corresponding to the transitions between the two. The first performers were Elena Vassileva and Claude Delange, in Wolfenbüttel, Germany 1995.