Billaudot Pepin Camille - Au Coeur De La Terre - Alto & Piano
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Summary of This Score
At the Heart of the Earth is a piece for viola and piano conceived as a true inner journey, both sensory and organic. Its starting point is pictorial: Jackson Pollock's all-over no. 13A, whose red-brown hue evokes earthly matter, while the white paint threads suggest an aerial perspective, like clouds seen from the surface of the globe. From this image arises the idea of a duo with fiery colors, where the viola unfolds an incandescent timbre and the piano adopts a sparkling, almost percussive writing.
The work opens with a slow, mysterious, and cosmic introduction. The viola plays seven notes, one of the foundational motifs of the score, supported by the gentle tinkling of the piano's "bells." This initial breath suggests the Earth's crust and establishes a suspended atmosphere, inviting the performer to carefully shape the depth of sound, sustain, and precision of resonances.
As the piece progresses, the material thickens. The crossing of the first layer turns into a virtuosic episode for solo viola, where the writing becomes more concrete and incisive. A second motif then appears: intense repeated notes, reinforced by the sound of open strings, giving the viola line a raw, almost mineral energy.
The entry into the mantle is marked by a distant rumble from the keyboard. The piano, increasingly liquid and enveloping, restarts the initial motif, while the viola stubbornly intones the repeated notes motif. The superposition of these two layers creates a hypnotic whirlwind, like molten matter subjected to successive variations that continually renew the textures.
Later, the viola brings back the crust motif in harmonics, over an underground and magmatic carpet. The tension rises, the planes draw closer, then the whole explodes into an expansive chant celebrating the power of nature: we are at the heart of the Earth. Finally, the two instruments calm down and the viola concludes with a last deep and secret breath, on the C string, nestled in the planet's bowels. This piece is part of a chamber music cycle inspired by a series of Pollock's all-overs.
Technical specifications
| Musical Genre | Classical | Publication | Sheet music |
| Instrumentation | viola and piano | Genre | chamber music |
Questions frequently asked
What instrumentation is planned for this score?
The score is written for viola and piano, in the style of classical chamber music.
Does the viola part include a virtuosic solo passage?
The writing includes a virtuosic episode for solo viola after the first layer. Intense repeated notes are reinforced by the use of open strings. The initial motif reappears later as harmonics.
Which work by Jackson Pollock inspires Au Coeur de la Terre?
The pictorial starting point is Jackson Pollock's all-over No. 13A. Its reddish-brown shades and white paint threads guide the colors assigned to the viola and piano.
What are the main motifs of the piece?
Two motifs structure the work: a seven-note cell entrusted to the viola from the introduction, and a motif of repeated notes. The first is accompanied by the piano's 'bells,' then the two elements overlap in a denser texture.
How does the piano contribute to the writing?
On the piano, the introduction offers bell-like resonances around the viola's seven notes. Later, the keyboard establishes a distant rumble and a sound material described as liquid and enveloping.
