LA PENDULE DE PROFIL
for basset horn, bassoon, viola, cello and double bass (2006-10)
The title refers to one of the notes written by Marcel Duchamp for his Large Glass: “A clock seen in profile in such a way that time disappears, while accepting the idea of a time other than linear.” (Duchamp du signe, Flammarion).
In this piece, several different musical streams, each with its own temporality and trajectory, are combined and deployed simultaneously. The result is not dissimilar to a sort of temporal cubism.
Although each performer assumes the role of soloist in turn, the score particularly highlights the basset horn, a sort of alto clarinet from the time of Mozart which is not often heard, but which has remarkable qualities.