Rajazz meets Messiaen

As part of his FRArt research grant, Manuel Hermia launched a call for scores in 2024, inviting composers to write new works based on his theory of rajazz. In response, Clément Cerovecki wrote a series of pieces which combine the rajazz system with Messiaen’s modes. The symbolic motivation behind rajazz’s theory arises from a desire to merge contrasting approaches from Eastern music (modal) versus Western music (tonal). In parallel, Messiaen’s modes of limited transposition are another source of fascinating ambiguity through the opposition between their idealistic rigidity (exact divisions of the octave) and strong poetical potential (tonal evocations and coloristic imagination).  In parallel, Messiaen’s modes contain other kinds of contrasts, between their idealistic rigidity (exact divisions of the octave) versus strong poetical potential (tonal evocations and coloristic imagination). From the meeting of these two systems emerges a music with gently weird and unfamiliar colors, open to multiple readings and allowing each musician to freely follow distinct approaches simultaneously. The quintet will play compositions by Clément and Manuel