La Fleur en Papier Doré

Nigel Clarke

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Subtitle: A Surrealist Fantasy for Symphonic Wind Orchestra

The title translates from the French as The Golden Paper Flower

General Info

Year: 2019
Duration: c. 8:45
Difficulty: V+ (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Symphony
Publisher: Hafabra
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - €175.00 | Score Only (print) - €35.00

Movements

1. I. La Lampe Philosophique (The Philosopher’s Lamp)
2. L’Echelle de Feu (The Ladder of Fire).

Instrumentation

(Needed - please join the WRP if you can help.)

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

La Fleur en Papier Doré (The Golden Paper Flower) is named after a historic bar dating back to the 18th Century in the heart of Brussels, Belgium. In the 20th century it became a meeting place for members of the Belgian surrealist movement, including the artist René Magritte. The writer Georges Prosper Remi, better known by his pseudonym Hergé of Tin Tin fame, also frequented this bar, as did the Belgian singing legend Jacques Brel.

La Fleur en Papier Doré is located next to the antique quarter of Brussels, the Sablon, and has a similar old-world atmosphere. The walls of the bar are covered in artifacts, philosophical citations and yellowing sepia photographs, and the wooden bench tables are etched in graffiti from the past, giving it a unique and quirky feel.

I am a frequent visitor to La Fleur en Papier Doré. Apart from the attraction of the famous Belgian beers and traditional cuisine on offer(!), I am excited to think of all those great minds, intellects and talents that have come together there. From my very first visit I felt I wanted to write about this unique haunt.

I have described my musical offering as a `Surrealist Fantasy’. The work is written in two distinct sections named after Magritte paintings: I. La Lampe Philosophique (The Philosopher’s Lamp) II. L’Echelle de Feu (The Ladder of Fire). Both are intended to conjure up the no-doubt thought-provoking conversations and debates that must have taken place amongst all those eminent artists, writers and poets as they propped up the bar.

- Program Note by composer

Commissioned by HAFABRA Music and dedicated to Louis Martinus.

- Program Note from score

Media

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State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Grand Symphonic Winds (Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.) (Matthew J. George, conductor) - 20 December 2019 (2019 Midwest Clinic) *Premiere Performance*

Works for Winds by This Composer

Resources

Nigel Clarke website Accessed 21 December 2019