Connesson, G :: Techno-Parade

Techno-Parade

Connesson, G

From the publisher, Gerard Billaudot, Guillaume Connesson’s Techno-Parade for flute, clarinet and piano opens with driving repetitions and virtuosic riffs conveying the relentless excitement of techno music. Yet this is an ironic take on the electronic music genre. Unpredictably shifting meters, occasionally settling into an uneven if temporarily constant feeling of 7/4, are in alternation with passages lacking the comfort of any obvious downbeat. In the middle of the piece there is a percussion break, where the pianist uses a wire brush and places sheets of paper directly on top of the piano strings. The composer explains ‘[Techno-Parade] was written with a continuous pulsation, from start to finish. There are two decisive motives, swirling and colliding together, giving the piece its character, festive and disquieting at the same time. The wailing of the clarinet and the obsessive patterns of the piano seek to recapture the fierce energy of techno music...The three instruments seem drawn into a rhythmic trance that carries the piece to its conclusion in a frenetic tempo.’ Extended techniques and extreme ranges for the winds create a changing constellation of colors and textures, compelling the listener toward increasing levels of participation. Maybe you can’t dance to it, but one thing is sure: this music moves.

Dr. Elinor Olin Connesson is a prolific 21st century French composer.

For advanced players.