Madre - Alexandre Ouzounoff

As soon as Nicolas Prost announced in 2023 that he was forming a duo with Michel Portal, my first words were - even though I was born in France and am of Bulgarian descent - “Madre de Dios!!”. It was because I admired his immense talent as a muti-instrumentalist - having listened to him on repeat and then played with him - that these Spanish words came to me quite naturally. He was born in Bayonne; perhaps that was an explanation…!

Composing a piece for this clarinetist, a magical creator of international renown, meant I couldn’t write in his improvisational style or in a “contemporary” style, given his extensive work in that field! So, I decided to let myself be inspired by the person I was writing for, without referencing his musical background!

The piece lasted 2 minutes and 30 seconds, providing just a breather in the concert. A few months later, Nicolas Prost suggested a version featuring baritone saxophonist Tonio Mollica, replacing the bass clarinet.

In 2024, Tonio suggested that I “expand” MADRE, still in the version featuring a baritone saxophone.

This version premiered in 2024 with Tonio Mollica on soprano saxophone and Livia Ferrara on baritone
saxophone.

Alexandre Ouzounoff

Duration: 6 min.15