english translation by Jeremy Drake
While the composer Pascal Dusapin may be considered one of the most singular composers today, he also occupies the position of one of the main protagonists in the world of French music, largely on account of the wealth of his surprisingly regular output. Since the end of the 1970s he has worked in every field of composition, be it solo instrumental, chamber music, ensemble, choral, orchestral or operatic. Nor is there any form in which he has not written, and even the long-neglected piano now finds its repertoire enriched by a cycle of studies and a trio. Three operas, two oratorios, four string quartets and orchestral works including the four recent “Solo pour orchestre” have made a notable contribution to his fame. But rather than singling out any particular score, it is more rewarding to discuss his style and unusual creative regularity.
The care that Pascal Dusapin lavishes on the writing of his works, and the relationship between his music and its performers, amount together to a veritable passion for vocal or instrumental matter. From pieces for solo instrument, of which his catalogue includes some fifteen, recognizable from their titles that begin with “I”, to the large forms, the same flow can be found, the same plastic and sound quality, the same desire to make use of the most expressive techniques and vocabulary. Dusapin’s style, which freed itself at an early date of the influence of his early masters (Iannis Xenakis and Franco Donatoni), never abandons a certain lyrical quality, nor its controlled energy which combines the rigors of formal organization with the freedom of invention. The opposition between the bare sound mass and his fluid construction, making use of more peaceful harmonic systems, also features frequently. The four string quartets, written between 1982 and 1997, are certainly the finest example of the composer’s stylistic preoccupations and development.
Another field of affinity is the voice, whether solo or choral. Literary, descriptive and philosophical texts all find fertile soil under Dusapin’s pen, illustrating his genuine desire to maintain an open approach, keeping a weather-eye open on the world. His two oratorios (Niobé and La Melancholia), settings of compilations of early writings; his three operas that call on contemporary or 20th-century writers (Olivier Cadiot, Heiner Müller and Gertrude Stein, Aldo Palazzeschi); and his recent works for a cappella choir or with ensemble, all demonstrate his desire to combine his search for form with the outcome of his expression. The care with which Dusapin selects the voices, instruments and architectural form underlines yet again his skill in developing a language that is both free and abundant. Pascal Dusapin may be in love with freedom, but he never turns his back on the fruits of a certain classicism, nor the progress of the avant-garde, and is thus free to construct his own true work, independent of any schools of thought. His music is as much for professional musicians as for amateurs, and has already incised a deep mark on our time.