Strength, simplicity, emotion, contrast, are words that guide me in my work of composition. The questioning of our current world is something that fascinates me. In 2004, I started looking for texts about important events of the 20th century, which are still relevant today. I discovered the poetry of Benjamin Fondane. From the first sentence, I was fascinated by his writing, by the beauty and simplicity of his words, by the strength and universality of his images. I am struck by his thought, a particular form of revolt and reflection on evil, a philosophy of “irresignation”. This text pushes us to reflect on Man, on what will or will not be the XXIst century. This musical work has become for me a personal reflection and a work on the memory of past events but also a way to keep an active eye on the present.

Musically, the work is built in four periods. The first is based on the sounds of the earth (bow rubbing, breathing, choir whispering). In the second and third periods, melodic phrases, rhythms, and timbres are amplified and collide to the point of chaos. The last period, with its long sonorous holds and the speech taken by the narrator, tends towards the infinite: it is the memory and the memory of our life.

Lionel Ginoux