Trois Invocations

Trois Invocations (2017), for flute and guitar, invites the listener into a brief moment of reverie—sometimes nostalgic, sometimes rhythmic, sometimes dreamlike. The work, in three contrasting movements, seeks to awaken the imagination and evoke whatever poetic landscapes the music may suggest.

The first Invocation unfolds over an ostinato bass, sustained throughout by the guitar. A simple and expressive melody, first entrusted to the flute, sets a meditative tone. Following a modulation a major third lower, the guitar introduces a second theme, which is subsequently taken up by the flute. The opening melody returns to close the movement, passed from guitar to flute in a gesture of quiet symmetry.

The second Invocation is light-hearted and rhythmically playful, built from a minimal amount of material yet continuously inventive in its textural and combinatorial variety, ensuring the listener’s attention is constantly renewed.

The third Invocation, by contrast, is the most meditative of the three. Here, a single bar is repeated unaltered by the guitar, without modulation or development, while the flute weaves a melodic arc—rising slowly from the lower register to the upper reaches before gently descending once more. The effect is that of a musical landscape evolving imperceptibly, the static guitar figure acting as both anchor and backdrop. This final movement may also be performed with alto flute, offering a darker and more introspective timbral hue.

Trois Invocations is dedicated to the Duo Paseo Musical (Amélie Douai, flute; Caroline Schneider, guitar), who gave the world premiere on 22 April 2018 during the Brussels International Guitar Festival.