Essential Information About Dominique Lemaître's Score
Inspired by the small stele of the "harpist singing a hymn to the sun" preserved at the Louvre Museum, this score evokes the imagery of the solar rituals of ancient Egypt. A symbol of power and clairvoyance, the "Eye of Ra" suggests the brilliance and omniscience of the sun god, giving the work an aura of light and gravity. The motif of the harpist worshipping the sun serves as a poetic thread, between contemplation and fervor, in a decidedly contemporary writing style.
The piece is structured in five connected sections, each built around a single mode, ensuring strong modal coherence and a seamless sonic journey. The alternation of pulses structures the discourse: the odd-numbered sections move at a tempo of 76-80, while the even-numbered sections unfold more slowly, at 58-60. This metric breathing creates waves of energy and introspection, like alternations of shadow and sunlight.
The writing highlights the purity of each modal color, favoring distinct atmospheres and an almost ritualistic inner progression. The evocation of the "Eye of Ra" brings a strong symbolic dimension: expanded vision, solar power, concentrated intensity. The result is a meditative and luminous score, where the momentum of the ancient sacred chant blends into a contemporary sensitivity.