Migot, Georges : Huit préludes hors du temps
Work Overview
Publication Year:1983
First Publisher:Les Amis de l’Oeuvre et de la Pensée de G. Migot
Instrumentation:Piano Ensemble
Genre:prelude
Total Playing Time:10 min 00 sec
Copyright:Under Copyright Protection
Commentary (1)
Author : Nishihara, Masaki
Last Updated: December 4, 2023
[Open]
Author : Nishihara, Masaki
A masterpiece for two pianos written by Migot in his mature years, published posthumously. According to Marc Honegger, a leading scholar of Migot, it was conceived in February 1957 as incidental music for a reading of Gérard Murail's (father of composer Tristan Murail) poetry collection "Feu couvert" (Covered Fire), and its original title was "Prélude, Interludes et Postlude". It is dedicated to Valérie Soudères and Pierre Auclert. The premiere took place on October 15, 1962, at the Théâtre de la Comédie in Strasbourg, performed by the acclaimed duo of their time, Marie-José Billard and Julien Azaïs. Multiple linear horizontal lines intertwine and interweave. Tonality is neither denied nor affirmed, while anomalous dissonances, reminiscent of the distortion and creaking of the boundary separating inside and outside of time, are incidentally generated. Its original sound has no parallel. Movements 2, 4, and 8 contain no accidentals, employing Migot's favored method of using only white keys. The neat score contains no expressive markings to please the listener, no ostentatious virtuosity, nor any eccentric avant-garde techniques. Yet, precisely by eliminating all artifice and subjectivity, the composer's intellect, aesthetics, and madness undeniably emerge. Migot excelled in philosophy, astronomy, painting, and poetry alongside his composition. A world transcending time and space was always close to Migot, and he freely entered and exited it, making it one of the foundations of his creation. Consequently, Migot's music is both abstract and concrete, and yet difficult to define as either. In any case, using the score as a guide, we can instantly access the otherworldly realm into which Migot soared. Could there be a greater luxury? Although there are many masterpieces for two pianos in the world, I know of no other piece that reveals such a unique and subtle realm.
Movements
- Movement 1: Assez lent (4/4 time)
- Movement 2: Allant (4/4 time)
- Movement 3: Modéré (3/4 time)
- Movement 4: Comme un choral (5/4 time)
- Movement 5: (Quarter note = 88) (6/4 time)
- Movement 6: (Quarter note = 66) (5/4 time)
- Movement 7: (Quarter note = 60) (4/4 time)
- Movement 8: Choral (4/4 time)