James Dillon

…le vent, l'arbre et le temps

L'évolution du vol is a small cycle of songs and instrumental works for soloists or small ensembles. The work exploits the double theme of 'flight' and 'theft' enjoined in the French vol. The text, which variously combines English with French, consists of early youthful lyrics inflated by (plundered) fragments from Racine, Valéry, Lieris. Gradually both music and text are opened to wider references - flight as release, as dream, as drug-induced, as fleeing, theft as spoil, as hidden, as rubato. This double theme infiltrates the musical organisation by collapsing certain predetermined aspects of order. The music from work to work veers away from the initial rigidity of the repetitive figure, whilst text is gradually invaded by an elaborate vocalise - port de voix, tremblement etc. Instability of text(ure) and line becomes increasingly apparent as material is subject to flights of fancy.Written for the combined forces of Accroche-Note, an ensemble of exceptional musicality with whom I have had the privilege to work over a number of years and to whom the work is dedicated. L'évolution du vol was commissioned by Antwerp '93 European City of Culture jointly for Accroche-Note and the Antwerp based ensemble Champ d'Action. ...le vent, l'arbre et le temps for solo Double Bass is the seventh movement of the cycle and may be performed separately.