To finalize his Symphony No.2 - "La Galerie du Temps" the composer was inspired by the famous painting by Rubens exhibited in the MODERN TIMES Department - "Baroque Europe": King Ixion cheated on by Juno whom he wanted to seduce . This painting, painted around 1615, depicts the major event of the legend : the infidelity of Juno. Ixion, on the left, tries to seduce the false Juno. On the right, the real Juno looks slyly at the scene. She’s recognizable by her peacock who is by her side. At the top right, Jupiter observes the scene, with the serenity befitting a god. Cupidon, a hand torch, turns his back. The painting is interesting by the game of doubles, the mystery to solve : where are the real and the false Juno ?
This composition is made up of several themes : after a spectacular introduction, another theme is put in place in place, rhythmic then gradually melodic, which ends to the central part of the movement : a theme borrowed by the composer in tribute to the second movement of the Symphony No.2 by Sergei Rachmaninov.
Just like in the painting where the game of double prevails, 2 themes, whimsical and frenzied, frame - at the end of energetic escapades - an enigmatic choral sounding like a funereal reminder which could be compared to the thematic of this painting : allegory on the vanity and the deception of a purely sensual love which can only disappoint. This movement multiplies the ruptures with originality and vitality, thus highlighting this theme, borrowed of romantic fervor.
The work ends with a large coda beginning with a rhythmic and cheerful theme symbolizing the enthusiasm and fervor of an entire territory to develop this magnificent cultural tool, followed by a finale in apotheosis thus paying tribute to all those who worked to give birth to the Louvre - Lens !
"SYMPHONIE No.2 - La Galerie du Temps" : Inspired by the eight departments (Eastern Antiques, Egyptian Antiques, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiques, Islamic Arts, Objets d’Art, Graphic Arts, Sculptures and Paintings) and the "Galerie du Temps" which offers an original journey in the Louvre’s collections, the idea is to generate music both from these different aesthetics but also by introducing contemporary elements (in response to the “Pavillon de Verre”), thus deploying a row of musical instants, independent moments ordered in a magnificent sonorous tree structure.
A Work at the height of the event: the inauguration of the Louvre-Lens, and a strong musical entity: the Wind Orchestra. Also called "Harmony" in France and deeply settled in the history of North area (and more particularly in the heart of mining and industrial districts), this orchestra is full of sound richness that this symphony aims to enhance, in order to put them in service of an extremely structured writing.
Composed of 5 Movements (1. Du Louvre à Lens / 2. Warka / 3. Biban-El-Moulouk (La Vallée des Rois) / 4. Sapientes Apocalypsis (Les Sages de l’Apocalypse) / 5. Ixion) this symphony is deliberately expressive and characteristic of the sum of the musical influences that nourish the composer's writing.
Commissioned by Orchestre à Vent de Lens / Creation 2015
PDF - Score / IXION
Part V from SYMPHONIE N°2 - La Galerie du Temps
for Symphonic Wind Orchestra
Jean-Philippe VANBESELAERE
Grade : 4+
Duration : 7:45
Reference : PDF / EMP - WM 028S
Recorded by ORCHESTRE A VENT DE LENS
CD "La Galerie du Temps"