Pour l’Odyssée

Pour l’Odyssée was commissioned by Ensemble Musicatreize at the request of its conductor Roland Hayrabedian.
At the end of 2020, I wrote Une Odyssée, for vocal ensemble with 12 soloists and percussion. This vast (25 minutes) and virtuoso work was initially intended to include a part that could be performed with the addition of a mixed amateur choir; the latter also had to be able to perform an isolable work of a few minutes that could be played independently.
It was a real challenge to anticipate these very specific features when writing Une Odyssée. It was the title Pour l’Odyssée that came to mind and stimulated my creativity. So I included two excerpts from Une Odyssée in this work. La Berceuse (5th movement) from a Judeo-Spanish melody A la una maci yo and Égreo Pēnelópīa (last movement) whose text is taken from the XXIIIrd song of Homer’s Odyssey. To these two excerpts, in which the choir sings all or part of the vocal ensemble part, I have added an introduction, a coda and separate parts that will only be used for the performance of Pour l’Odyssée in isolation.
It is thus a double work, bringing together a professional ensemble and an amateur choir, or, in the form presented here, can be performed by the latter as a piece in its own right.
Of course, the latter can also be performed in a concert combining the two proposals.
Benoît Menut