Rêver - Music in Movement

Rêver is a composition for dancing clarinetist and singing dancer. It is the result of a great collaboration with choreographer and dancer Alice Gervais-Ragu. Enjoy the video (2004, Spirales tour of the Ensemble New Flore):

Karlheinz Stockhausen and Johann Sebastian Bach

Rêver is the green piece from the Arc-en-ciel cycle.

This pas de deux is of course influenced by the work of Karlheinz Stockhausen. Indeed, performing In Freundschaft was my first contact with a composition for moving musician. As a composer, Stockhausen is unique by the different ways in which he incorporated movement in his work. He asked several dancers to work with him (notably Michèle Noiret and Alain Louafi), and notated movement in his musical scores.

But I really composed Rêver as an homage to Johann Sebastian Bach. The piece is both a "Canon Contrarium Stricte Reversum" and a "Canon Cancrizans". It is a retrograde (or "crab") canon in contrary motion, that references Bach's famous canons like the ones in the Musical Offering.

Form scheme for Rêver.

On this form scheme, you can read the mirrored structure, used rather strictly for the music, and on a more structural level for the dance.

Finally, here is the basis for the lyrics: a set of words for each section of the piece. Each part corresponds to one of seven colors. There are no lyrics for Indigo, a silent passage.

Red	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Violet
Rêver Inventer Créer Enflammer Rougir Concevoir Accoucher Réaliser	Rouler Impulser Cadencer Enlacer Ralentir Caresser Arrondir Rythmer	Rire Insuffler Chanter Échanger Réjouir Converser Accorder Raconter	Rencontrer Inviter Charmer Émouvoir Roucouler Chérir Aimer Ravir	Reposer Irriguer Comprendre Écouter Respirer Croire Accepter Risquer	Revivre Inspirer Contempler Être Réunir Communier Accueillir Rêver

Can you read the reference to Bach?