21st century
Baroque
Classical
Romantic
20th century
21st century
Solo repertoire
Piccolo
Alto flute
Bass flute
Connesson Guillaume
Connesson, Guillaume
Ittzés, Gergely
Pärt, Arvo
Pattillo, Greg
Price, William Roger
Schwantner, Joseph
Sollberger, Harvey
Somma, Victor
Woolf, Randall
Le Rire de Saraï
Le Rire de Saraï
G. Connesson: Sonata for flute and piano "Le Rire de Saraï" (Sarah's laughter) was written in 2002 and dedicated to French flutist Sarah Louvion.
The composition was inspired by the story in the book of Genesis, where Sarah, the wife of Abraham conceives and gives birth to a boy, despite her rather old age. A story about a miracle from God, and a miracle of love, despite Sarah's doubts.
The composition consists of two parts. The first depicts Sarah that jealously throws her servant Hagar out of her home, admitting her inability to conceive a child, and Hagar's prayers for Sarah while wandering through the desert.
The second part is a joyful dance of celebration for a newborn son Isaac, the new symbol of the alliance between God and Israel, and the celebration of faith that overcomes doubt, which sometimes we tend to conceal with laughter.
Chia-Chi Hsu (piano), 2017, live performance (from 00:07) at Shanghai Oriental Art Center.
Le Rire De Sarai
Connesson Guillaume
Guillaume Connesson (1970) is a renowned French composer who studied piano, music theory, choir conducting, and composition at the Conservatoire National de Région in Boulogne-Billancourt and the Paris Conservatoire.
He has composed compositions on commissions by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, etc.
His compositions have been regularly performed by leading orchestras throughout the world, including Brussels Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and BBC Symphony Orchestra to name a few.
Winner of the Victoire de la Musique award (2015, 2019) and the Sacem's Grand Prize (2012), he has an impressive list of recordings on the Deutsche Grammophon label: two monographs of chamber music and three symphonic monographs, receiving numerous critical distinctions. His music contains references of Wagner, Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky, Messiaen, Dutilleux, Steve Reich, and even Elvis Presley, James Brown, and techno music. Among his most popular works for flute: Techno-parade for flute, clarinet and piano (2002), Sonata for flute and piano Le Rire De Sarai (2002), and the Concerto for flute and orchestra Pour sortir au jour (2013).
Guillaume Connesson has been in residence with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lyon, and the Orchestre National d'Ile-de-France.
Since 1997 he has been professor of orchestration at the Aubervilliers-La Courneuve Conservatory.