Alphonse Leduc; available through United Music Publishers Alphonse Leduc

Ł22.40

Born in 1947, Florentz draws much inspiration from not only the French symphonic tradition, but also from Africa, where he spent much time in the study of natural sciences, literary Arabic and ethnomusicology. La Croix du Sud is inspired by the desolate and chaotic landscape of the Hoggar in the south of the Sahara. This 17-minute piece is in three sections ('périodes'), which evoke the three principal states of the Samâa – the means of reaching the states of grace or ecstasy, ultimately revealing the divine mysteries. To evoke this landscape, and the journey through the states of Samâa, the music is predictably complex, spilling onto as many six lines more than once and in places presents the player with too many notes for the normal number of limbs. An assistant is required in places too. Intriguing…

AR