Jos Janssen commented on my description of a Berio concert I attended in
London, and asked about the first piece on the program:

>>Recit (Chemins VII) for saxophone.
>
>Are we just witnessing a musical dialogue (as the
>also rather clinical title seems to suggest), or should we look beyond?
>What does "chemins" mean in this context?

A quote from the program note:

  Beginning with the solo work "...the subsequent production was
  achieved by allowing different "paths' (chemins) to proliferate from
  the solo piece, occasionally by orchestral interruptions punctuating
  the established 'text', but usually by simultaneous superposition of
  orchestral lines and layers that amplify upon the solo core material..."

I think this explains the term "chemins".

>What a joy to read that you were moved by so fierce and complex a work
>like Coro.  Being able to "move" people in-depth in an intellectual
>and emotional way and not just entertain or intrigue, that's what our
>contemporary music needs.  How I would have loved to be there too.  Can
>anybody tell us (perhaps out of own experience) what it is like to perform
>Berio's music?

It is indeed an amazing work, and I would imagine very rewarding to
perform.  I would also very much like to hear from listers who have
tackled Berio's music.

Julia Werthimer
California USA          email: [log in to unmask]