Matthieu Stefanelli

Gaïa ou Le cri de la terre

Written in 2022 for solo bassoon, string sextet and piano, this composition musically describes the excesses that Man is inflicting on our beautiful Planet. It begins with a tumult of strings and piano, and the bassoon's song, symbolizing the voice of the Earth, emerges above a frenetic abundance of human agitation and pollution, like a warning cry. This is followed by different sections describing different eras: night, ice, rain, and finally, a chorale-like song of reconciliation representing the balance between Man and planet Earth, an optimistic perspective for a future in osmosis and symbiosis. The creation of this work, lasting approximately 12 minutes, was commissioned by Renaud Capuçon and the Festival Nouveaux Horizons 2022.