Rouges Vitrail

About

“Rouges Vitrail is a piece written around the different shades of red stained glass throughout a full day. Red in stained glass is a filtering color, not very radiant, which sometimes appears black depending on the strength of the light; however, when the sun strikes the red stained glass, the red becomes exalted. This variation in brilliance and hue of the glass according to the sun struck me deeply and moved me. Writing this piece required many observations of stained glass at different times of the day, such as those at the Prieuré Saint-Ayoul (Provins), the Sainte-Chapelle (Paris), or the Notre-Dame de Chartres Cathedral.

I conceived this piece around several lines of thought: the idea of slowing down the light beam, the perception of red according to its nuances, the very gradual changes of color. But also my own emotions in front of the vivid red of the stained glass: the impression of an exaltation of a form of violence, of provocation, a warm and combative pride. The piece sweeps through the red stained glass from dawn to dusk, thus moving from red-black to brilliant red, before returning to darkness, with a musical arch form.”