for a capella mixed choir
The fact that the text of Psalm 129 (better known as ‘‘De produndis’’) is used by the catholic liturgy on the occasion of funerals tends to lessen its progression from the angst of darkness to perfect serenity; this is the very progression I wanted to set forward; in the first measures of the piece, a solo voice (followed by a second one) will come to sing ‘‘alleluia’’: this is the bright ‘‘Alleluia de profundis’’, an amazing Gregorian melody which I couldn’t help but quote (or, rather, explore again).
The psalm divides itself into three sections: a deep liminary lament (De profúndis), a crescendo expressing the sinner’s anguish in the face of divine Justice (Si iniquitátes), and whose outcome is a dreaded shriek (quis sustinébit ?), then finally an appeased psalmody (Sperávit ánima mea, ‘‘like a lullaby’’, as the score indicates).
A commissioned work of the Conservatory (Conservatoire National de Région) of Lille for its chamber choir dedicated to Claire Marchand, ‘‘Psaume 129’’ was written in 1997 and premiered two years later and then came into the repertoire of chamber choir ‘‘Les Éléments’’ who, under the conducting of Joël Suhubiette, performed it on numerous occasions, including a recording praised by the musical press; it since has been played by other ensembles, among which are the BBC Singers.
composed in: 1997
commissioned work for the Conservatory (Conservatoire National de Région) of Lille
premiered in: 1999, Lille, by the chamber choir of C.N.R. de Lille, Claire Marchand, cond.
duration: 18’
publisher: Jobert
discography: chamber choir Les Éléments, Joël Suhubiette, cond., 2004 (« De profundis » HORTUS 036)
also in the repertoire of the BBC Singers (Nicolas Krüger, cond.), the Goeyvaerts Consort/Aquarius Choir (Marc Michael De Smet, cond.), the adult choir of the Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris (Lionel Sow, cond.) and Le Transcontemporain (Lucas Sonzogni, cond.)
YouTube De profundis
YouTube Si iniquitates
YouTube Speravit anima mea