One word from the composer:

“In order to contrast with my previous works but also for a matter of taste, I’ve decided to work with a full string ensemble. It is not only because I love the colour of this formation, but also because I think it is an essential step on the way of composition. The amount of about 40 performers is necessary to be able to open the possibilities by multi-divising the sections, and to perform all the nuances so typical of this ensemble, with its heavy and great inheritance of those german classic, romantic, expressionnist monuments as Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, Mahler, Schönberg… It could also be easilly related to some french or italian baroque music that I like also a lot, or to these more recent central european composers, but what interests me today about this ensemble is precisely the huge capacity of pure romantism, whatever this can mean in 2011, and how this will connect to the dance.”

“ I want to work on this piece using tonality, 4-beat measures, and by pushing it to the limits of expressivity -of my limited knowledge- see where it will bring the very simple and basic motive of the first measures. Of course it makes the project pretty much challenging and heavy, but we’re convinced it doesn’t make sense to reduce the idea to a chamber version, for the volume of the formation is the nerve, the essence of it. The ideal numbers for it would be 12 (viol1)-10(viol2)-8(violas)-6(cellos)-4(contrabasses).”

Suite pour Orchestre à Cordes was released in 2012 on the label SimonSayS.
The actual CD is available on purchase at www.simonthierree.com