Bienvenu à la France !
This piece holds a dear place in my heart, and I hope that the experience of performing it will prove rewarding and worthwhile.
The entire work is a musical portrayal of my study abroad experience in Paris, France. Each movement is dedicated to portraying specific locations or buildings that were meaningful and together make a collage of emotions that express my experience.
All nine movements were originally written for Woodwind Quintet, and despite being arranged for Wind Ensemble have several sections that hearken back to the original version.
-JW
This piece has yet to be premiered.
Croquis de France
I. Théme Principal
This movement is centered around the main melody and four variations that portray a moderate walk through the disparate yet unified shops, apartments, restaurants, and museums of the city of Paris. This melody is referenced in many of the other movements to unify the entire work.
II. Le Mont Saint-Michel
This movement portrays the building, fortification, and battles of the thousand-year-old Medieval monastery and city, with the climactic battle being swept away by the incoming tide “faster than a galloping horse.” It winds down with the defenders cleaning up the wreckage of the battle, and the ever-present monastery watching history pass like an age-old tapestry.
III. Les Jardins de Monet
Lush textures and Asian influences abound as this movement tours the gardens that inspired many of Monet’s most famous paintings.
IV. L’Arc de Triomphe
A schmaltzy military march both parodies and gives sincere appreciation to Napoleon Bonaparte, the French military, and the monument that represents them.
V. Le Château de Versailles
The flagrant opulence of Louis XIV’s palace and gardens are portrayed through Baroque-style counterpoint, although a few hijinks and capers distinguish this movement from a historically authentic piece.
VI. Les Catacombes, le Centre Pompidou
Based around twelve-tone atonality, this movement portrays the claustrophobic darkness of the tunnel system that contains six million exhumed bodies, and a frantic fantasy in which I escape from the terrors of Paris’ foremost modern art museum.
VII. Les Arènes de Lutèce
Roman arenas and brand-new skyscrapers find dissonant yet unified harmony in a polytonal portrayal of the rich history of Paris.
VIII. Arabesques, le Métro
Paris boasts a large population of persons of Middle-Eastern descent, which is as essential to the city’s diverse and rich culture as the underground metro lines.
IX. Saint-Chapelle, Notre-Dame de Paris
Both cathedrals have faced destruction and through the efforts of ordinary people have been or are being repaired and made even more beautiful. This movement portrays the hope that both human hearts and buildings of stone can be healed and made better than they were before.