Chronographie II for Piano Quintet

The Chronographies form a cycle of independent works, each based on a common five-note motif (C, E, B, G, A), which may be transposed as needed. This minimal yet unifying material serves as the foundation for a series of twelve compositions written for various ensembles.

Chronographie II was originally composed for string orchestra in 1992 and later arranged by the composer in 2001 for keyboard quintet. The five-note motif appears from the outset in sustained note values, stated in canon by each instrument. The successive entries and lengthening of durations create an increasingly dense polyphonic fabric. This builds towards a first climax, which leads directly into the second section.

Marked by greater rhythmic vitality, the second part introduces two contrasting themes that gradually overlap and engage in a kind of musical confrontation. This dynamic interplay ultimately brings us back to the intensity of the first climax, now serving as a bridge to the third section. Here, the original motif returns in transformed guise, becoming the harmonic foundation upon which several lyrical melodies are layered, culminating in a second, more radiant climax.

The work concludes in a dreamlike atmosphere, where echoes of the second section’s theme reappear — distant and nostalgic, like fragments of memory.

This version is dedicated to Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden, who premiered it with the Ensemble César Franck — Véronique Bogaerts and Tomiko Shida (violins), Thérèse-Marie Gilissen (viola), and Marie Hallynck (cello) — on 12 December 2001 at the Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (Brussels). The work was revised in 2010.