Two and Six (2020)
for 2 alto flutes + 2 bass clarinets in B flat [13:00]

The title Two and Six, rather than the old Irish/British coin, refers to the two lines of the Paris Métro that encircle the city. Because they share a station (almost) at the end of each line, one could imagine circumnavigating the city in an endless loop. In the same way, the piece is conceived as two duos that can be played separately, but also with the possibility of superimposing the first and final measures of each half, resulting in a circular form that invites listeners to hop on or off at any stop, while still traversing the same landscape. From the transfer station on either metro line, there are a number of elevated stops before the train disappears again, an underground interlude before resurfacing and leading to another transfer. It’s a movement that recalls the Egyptian myth of the parallel voyages of the sun and moon, alluded to by Gérard Grisey in Jour, Contre-Jour.

In the first of the two duos, As Above, two alto flutes explore six episodes with contrasting textures and techniques. The pattern is repeated in reverse with So Below, for two bass clarinets. It is not a retrograde but a free reinterpretation of the same musical elements from another perspective. The outlines of the formal curve remain unchanged, even while the inner durations and details vary.

Two and Six was commissioned by Radio France for Festival Présences 2020 in honor of George Benjamin, and was premiered on 9 February 2020 at the Maison de la Radio in Paris by members of the London Sinfonietta.

For its debt to the sonorities of her Lovemusic, with gratitude and admiration, the piece is dedicated to Betsy Jolas.