PLANH

Notice

Commissioned by Polish Radio to take part in a tribute to the memory of Witold Lutosławski, the title of the work recalls the ancient tradition of the medieval planctus, or planh among the Provençal troubadours. The term was used to describe a musical lamentation after the death of a great man. Here, the universal archetype of the moan has served as the model for a long, 11-voice tempi canon, entrusted to a string orchestra. When a composer wishes to pay tribute to a great elder who has passed away, he can either place on his grave a work whose relationship with the circumstances remains external, or include in his work the emotional dimension of a (brief) meditation on death. Of these two equally legitimate options, I have chosen the second as more appropriate to express my respect and sadness.