Sextuor

Sextuor (1990) for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon, and piano marks a significant turning point in Michel Lysight’s aesthetic development.

While earlier works such as Réflexion (1982) and Soleil bleu (1989) still reveal the influence of twentieth-century masters like Debussy, Bartók, and Stravinsky, the composition of Sextuor coincided with a decisive encounter: the discovery of North American minimalism—Steve Reich, Philip Glass, John Adams—alongside the deeply spiritual idioms of Schnittke, Górecki, and Pärt. These influences crystallised in a style now emblematic of the postmodern current, of which Sextuor is an early yet mature expression.

Structured in three movements, the work is based on variations over harmonic sequences, a hallmark of Lysight’s emerging voice. Throughout, melody is foregrounded, while rhythmic intricacy and colouristic exploration of timbre are pursued with equal rigour. The instrumentation mirrors that of Francis Poulenc’s celebrated Sextet, lending the piece a classical lineage while asserting a distinctive contemporary identity.

The world première was given in Namur (Belgium) in 1990 by the Ensemble Nouvelles Consonances.

The work has been recorded three times: first by Ensemble Claventi (René Gailly, now out of print); then by soloists of the Musique Royale des Guides (Mirasound 500.135); and most recently in 2011 by the Quartz Ensemble on a disc entirely devoted to Lysight’s music for winds and piano (Quartziade 014, www.quartziade.be).

In 2011, the composer reworked the piece into a new version entitled Chamber Symphony, scored for wind quintet, harp, and string orchestra (or quintet).