Suite francaise for violin
Elizabeth Vercoe
About this work:
"a three-movement tone poem...sass and swagger in Le Hot Club, the third movement" (Washington Post)
The Suite française was written in 1983 during the first of three residencies in Paris. My neighborhood was the Marais, a very old and colorful section of the city. Each movement of the suite is a sketch of something in the area. The first ("La cirque Beaubourg") depicts the Pompidou Center bursting with cafe life and street artists and mimes, fire-swallowing acts, caricatures and political speeches all at once. The second ("La Seine en hiver") is an impression of the view from my studio where I could see the Seine, muddy and swollen by winter rains with the dark towers of Notre Dame a few blocks distant. On the way home I nearly always passed a door leading down some cellar steps with the name "Le Hot Club" alongside. I can't remember if I really heard or just imagined the strains of jazz floating up from the dark."
There are three short movements: La cirque Beaubourg, La Seine en hiver, and Le Hot Club.
Year composed: 1983
Duration: 00:10:00
Ensemble type: Solo instrument, non-keyboard:Violin
Instrumentation: 1 Violin