Cosmographic Mystery

Composed in 2002, Cosmographic Mystery was commissioned by the internationally renowned horn player Francis Orval, to whom the work is dedicated. Conceived as a sonic reflection on the mysteries of the universe, the piece unfolds in three movements, each preceded by a chime that symbolically expands: three tones in the first, five in the second, and a final seven-tone chime in the third that combines and completes the two preceding ones.

The first movement is structured in ABA′ form. Section A is slow, melodic, and meditative; section B is more animated and rhythmically driven, exploring the alternation between open and stopped horn sounds to evoke a dialogue between two distinct voices. In the return of A′, the initial material is restated with extended durations, dissolving into a sense of suspended time.

The second movement juxtaposes two contrasting ideas: one melodic and rhythmically expressive, the other based on fast repeated notes. As the movement progresses, the latter gradually overtakes the former, leading to a decisive and unambiguous close.

The third movement draws upon fragments from the previous two, reshaping and transforming them — as though they had evolved, yet retained their essential identity. This sense of transformation without loss of substance mirrors the cosmological metaphor underlying the work.

Cosmographic Mystery is featured on the CD Cosmographies alongside Chronographie IX (bassoon and piano), Deux Esquisses (wind quartet), Thrène (alto flute and piano), Sextuor (wind quintet and piano), and Pentagramme (wind quintet), performed by the Quartz Ensemble and released on the Quartziade label (QUARTZIADE 014).