music: Jean-Christophe Rosaz
piano 4 hands, cemballo and percussion
commissioned by CRR Versailles 
world premiere: 2016 December 12 
by students in Licence:
LEE Yebin, HA Yewon: piano
Solrun FRANZDOTTIR WECHNER: cemballo
SICK Benjamin: percussion
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I Rock and ice
II Gases and dust
III Immanence
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duration 6'30
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En prenant connaissance de l’alliage si spécifique du piano (ici 4 mains), du clavecin et de la percussion, je me suis souvenu de ma fascination pour l’infini de l’univers depuis l’enfance (ah les nuits passées allongé à même la terre à contempler le ciel étoilé ! – chose au demeurant de plus en plus rare, la cause en étant  la pollution lumineuse qui envahit l’espace nocturne.)
Pourquoi la comète Halley ? Parce qu’elle est - sans jeu de mot - une « star » dont le nom à lui seul suffit à évoquer l’espace dans toute sa magnificence ; le fait aussi qu’elle passe régulièrement à portée de vue depuis des siècles : nos ancêtres ont pu l’observer et nos descendants le feront encore longtemps, si tout va bien !
Ces trois couleurs instrumentales, où le métal n’est jamais très loin, sont pour moi  à même de rendre presque tangibles ces  « roche et glace » presque respirables ces « gaz et poussière », du moins je l’espère !
Quant à la troisième partie, elle évoque cette notion d’immanence, une chose qui est par elle-même, qui est là, éternelle ou presque et qui de ce fait nous rassure peut être sur notre condition humaine, nous donnant de la distance et nous faisant prendre de la hauteur. Cette qualité évoque pour moi le leitmotiv qui parcourt certaines partitions faisant émerger de l’ombre un personnage alors qu’il est loin de nous.
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By taking note of the alloy so specific of the piano (here 4 hands), harpsichord and percussion, I remembered my fascination for the infinity of the universe since childhood (ah the nights spent lying at even the earth to contemplate the starry sky - something more and more rare, because of the light pollution that invades the nocturnal space.
Why Comet Halley? Because it is - without a game of word - a "star" whose name alone is enough to evoke space in all its magnificence; the fact that it passes regularly within sight for centuries: our ancestors have been able to observe it and our descendants will do it for a long time, if all goes well!
These three instrumental colors, where the metal is never very far, are for me able to render almost tangible these "rock and ice" almost breathable these "gases and dust", at least I hope!
Regarding the third part, it evokes this notion of immanence, a thing which is by itself, which is there, eternal or almost and therefore reassures us on our human condition, giving us distance and rising us. This quality evokes for me the leitmotiv which traverses some scores bringing out a character from the shadow while it is far from us.
JC Rosaz

Trois états de la Comète Halley

composer
Jean-Christophe ROSAZ 
Member of Future Composés, SACEM, SACD                                                      
 
Born in the Alps, of a Swiss-French nationality and Italian-Argentinean origin, all this invite him to travel, meeting other cultures. Graduated of the Conservatory of Lyon in classical guitar and writing music (counterpoint, harmony and fugue), he obtained a Post Graduate Diploma in Composition at the Conservatoire National de Lyon and then in film music at the Ecole Normale de Musique - Alfred Cortot in Paris .

2015: he is invited composer to the Florilège Vocal de Tours. He has won several composition competitions: 2013 Prayer for peace has been choiced for the Congrès Pueri cantores 2014 Paris. The lads of Monleon is the winner of the 1st Hispasong International Composers Contest  (Spain). Diligam te, Domine is the winner of the 7th Concours Amadeus de composition chorale(Spain). Chiaroscuro for double bass solo received the Grand Prize International Society of Bassists David Walter Composition Competition solo division, the premiere performance will be at the 2013 ISB Convention, June 3-8, Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Concours National Composition and Writing Songs for Choirs (Choirs Creates Re) 2009 chaired by Jean-Claude Vannier (Jury members: Jean-Claude Petit, composer, Patrick Marco, head of choir). Fairies of the Rhine was awarded the prize for composition for choir festival of Swiss children's choirs and youth / 2008-2009. Semifinalist for Frammenti dell 'Paradiso (from a text by Dante Alighieri) to contest composition of sacred music for choir of Fribourg (Switzerland) 2008. Composition Competition for Concert Band of Lambersart 2006. Contest the city of Basel in 2000, for Argizagi: mixed choir. Lutoslawski International Composers Competition: Awarded for Four Indian Songs (soprano, conductor) / 1995. Piano Composition Competition of the city of Vannes: winner for Storm on the Ocean, Under The Sun's Drum / 1990.

His works are created in France, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Portugal, Switzerland, the United States by ensembles and musicians of international fame as Sonia Wieder-Atherthon, Thierry Barbé, Pascale Rouet, Christine Marchais, Marc Sieffert, Francois Veilhan, the Choir Britten cond. Nicole Corti, Suonare e Cantare, Maîtrise de la ville de Paris, cond. Patrick Marco, Maîtrise de la Cathedrale Notre Dame de Paris, cond. D. Rougier ...

He received numerous commissions: the Forestare Ensemble Canada, the Modern South America ensemble, Cantatrix, Amia associtation and the city of Strasbourg for an opera for children's voices, The Quimper Musical Weeks, Orion Ensemble (Switzerland) dir. Jean-Luc Darbellay, The Choir of the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire (cond. Valérie Fayet), the Festival des Voix du Prieuré, artistic dir. Bernard Tetu, Loïc Pierre and Le Cepravoi, the Argenteuil  Estudiantina and Florentino Calvo, Panam 'Trombones…
In 2011, he was in residence at the Music Conservatory of Chilly-Mazarin for writing three pieces for instrumental ensembles based on the work of Anne Herbauts. From 2010 to 2012, he continued working with the Master of Autun, dir. Fabien Barxell around the creation of the passions of St Luke, St Matthew and St Mark.

He works with the German poetess Eva-Maria Berg on the particular relation poetry-music

The recordings of the Magnificat from Puy (Bayard Music) as well as extracts from Vespers of Puy appeared in 2009 and 2010.

Soon: 
O magnum mysterium (Impronta Editions) world premiere by Ensemble Vocapella Limburg (male choir) cond. Tristan Meister programming by Stiftsmusik-Stuttgart 27 March 07.PM Stiftstraße 12, Stuttgart / Germany.
Commission & Premiere Ecole de musique du Jura bernois for children voices & Mozart orchestra cond. Philippe Krüttli June 23 Saint-Imier Switzerland. 


