In the Shimmer of Shining Hues

Instrumentation

Flute, Violin, Cello, Piano, Percussion 1 (Vibraphone, Crotales, Sus. Cymbal), Percussion 2 (Sus. Cymbal, Woodblocks, Tambourine)

Programme NotesLuxe calme et volupte

In the Shimmer of Shining Hues takes its inspiration from “Luxe, calme et volupté,” the most significant painting by Henri Matisse, in which the divisionist technique is used in the selection and treatment of colours. Warm, vibrant and contrasting colours convey powerful emotions, as they shimmer and shine above the two-dimensional surface of the canvas, and leave the impression that they are constantly changing. The improvisatory nature of this piece causes it to vary slightly in colour at each performance.

Matisse takes the title of this painting from L’Invitation au voyage a poem by Charles Baudelaire. The performers will be singing, and reciting a short excerpt from this poem, after the words “In a Shining Shade of Light.”

In a shining shade of light,
Là, tout n’est qu’ordre et beauté,
Luxe, calme et volupté

Recording

Ethos Collective, Vancouver Art Gallery, 2012

Perusal Score