Creation : 17 January 2002, Strasbourg, France
Duration: 5′
Musicians : 6 percussionists
Publishing : Billaudot
“Rheumics was commissioned by Percussions de Strasbourg and Festival Présences. Part of a joint project by 12 composers for the 40th anniversary of the Percussions de Strasbourg, the work is gradually built up using elements taken from the pieces that preceded it, namely those by Michaël Jarrell and François-Bernard Mâche for the pitches and rhythms, and that of Fausto Romitelli for the timbres. She mainly uses objects that do not belong to the usual range of percussion instruments: kazoo, bottles, tuning forks, harmonica, knitting needles, flower pots… Starting by exploring this sound material, she gradually dramatizes it to the point where this already unusual instrumentarium is tossed into a tinkerer’s delirium that pushes the limits even further. Rheumics is a sound reflection on percussion itself, where the verb to percolate no longer represents the activity of the musicians alone, but must be enriched by the words to rub, shake, blow, knead… The piece is obviously dedicated to the Percussions de Strasbourg as well as to Michaël Jarrell, François-Bernard Mâche and Fausto Romitelli”.
Philippe Leroux