L’Œuvre au noir [parts]

L’Œuvre au Noir (2025) was commissioned by the Gemma Quartet. Like several other works by the composer (Alchemy, L’Œuvre au Rouge, Beryllium, etc.), it is inspired by alchemy and unfolds in three movements.

The first is built on simple, readily recognisable rhythmic elements whose gradual superimposition generates increasingly complex patterns.

The second is highly melodic and expressive in character, with the obsessive rhythmic drive of certain passages heightening its dramatic intensity.

The third follows an ABA′ form. Its two outer sections, strongly rhythmic in profile, are based exclusively on 3/8, 5/8 and 7/8 metres and are deeply marked by the technique the composer describes as “evolutionary repetition”, while the central B section takes the form of a free canon. The work closes in a jubilant and luminous atmosphere.

Its world première was given by the dedicatees on 16 March 2026 at IMEP, Namur.