Recueil de Pierres Vives
The twelve pieces in Recueil de Pierres vives were composed at very different times. I wanted to bring them together for totally subjective reasons, in an order that is no less subjective, and to give each of them the name of a stone or rock. I know nothing about mineralogy or jewelry. But holding a mineral in my hand produces an almost immediate effect of “liveliness”, a kind of soothing that's all the more intense because it's an ordinary stone. Its shape, its grain, its hue. In order not to appear too ignorant in the eyes of the specialist, I have gone so far as to research the meaning and characteristics of these rock names. But to tell the truth, I chose them more for their intimate sound than for their geological conformity. The game then consisted in establishing a kind of choreography of letters and words, centered on the idea of “moving stability” that suggests this humble material, and assembling them into a collection,...like an overview of things that seem like nothing.
The other twelve tracks on this album, likewise, express nothing but themselves - with the exception of Capuche, composed for my daughter. Unless one or other of them was, surreptitiously, linked to a personal story. But, no doubt, I would have known.
Joël Wissotzky