Gaussin Éclipse

The second Messiaen student included in the reissued by AGP we discussed a couple of days ago is Alain Gaussin, born in 1943.

This piece, Éclipse, for small orchestra and two pianos, is built around the idea of mutation. The initial static bands of sound slowly transform into a series of overlapping rhythms, which in turn transform into a magmatic set of phrases, until the violent central percussive caesura, after which the magma reconstitutes itself, only to dissolve in the finale.

Alain Gaussin – Éclipse
Ensemble Intercontemporain directed by Eotvos
Warning: The YouTube video begins with Eclipse, which lasts up to 16:19. It then continues with two other pieces by other composers.

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