Opus pour Octoplus’si…

Octoplus’si, a double quartet of saxophones accompanied by a percussionist commissioned many composers and offers a program consisting of creation only.

Biography

Based on an idea of Eliane Roëss the octet Octoplus’si… was created, to bring together saxophonists of the urban area Belfort / Montbéliard / Héricourt.
It is headed by William Grosjean, who transcripts and composes for Octoplus’si…
If the pleasure of playing together is important, so is the ability to open the octet to other musicians.
Hence the name “octoplus’si…” affinités (french for: “Octet… and maybe more…”)
It is in this spirit that Pierre Grosjean, percussionist, joined the project.

More information

Our program consists solely of creations composed on our request.

“Voiles”, of Frédéric Jacqmin, duration 14’40.
“This piece is a tribute to all sailors and particularly the skippers of the solo non-stop race: Vendée Globe. It praises their strengh, endurance and courage.
“Voiles” consists of two movements:
I. The way out: Commit, get prepared, be enthousiastic…but also: worry face loneliness, and the elements of a protean and sovereign sea. A so beautiful sea…
II. The way back: half of the journey is achieved. Sometimes dulness settles down, just for a little while, pitfalls always on your mind. Moments of joy succeed to the ones of fear and doubts. (…) Then comes the immense joy of the very close return.” Frédéric Jacqmin

“Entaille”, of Geoffroy Gesser, duration 8’49.
“This piece is built on a serie of twelve tones, with a writing of improvised appearance. The beginning plays with the cohabitation of two worlds, one blurred and swarming, the second one cold and lonely. The central portion works as a mirror, it is an opportunity to find freedom through improvisation. The final is an acute material accelerating, accumulating, to finally be flood by a low and malleable harmony.” Geoffroy Gesser

“7 danses”, of William Grosjean, duration 12′.
“Each of these dances is immediately recognizable, but there is always a little nothing – often a metric deformation, an amputated structure, sometimes the incursion of an element styled differently – justifies the “as” used for subtitles:
1. As a march
2. As a tango
3. As a waltz
4. As a ragtime
5. As a tarantella
6. As an incantatory dance (extract)
7. As a kalamatianos
The writing is tonal at large. Each musician is regarded as a solist.” William Grosjean

“Oops, I’ve made a loop”, of Jérôme Brie, duration 20’00.
Composed in five parts: Perpetuum mobile / Echo I / Pop passacaglia / Echo II / Mobile perpetuum. “Oops” is built in loop, blending jazz, pop, world music inspirations, leaving a great emphasis for improvisation.

“Octuor remis à 9”, of Sylvain Marchal, duration 11’47.
Series of musical miniatures interspersed with short poems of Anne-Marie Soulier and Anne Mounic.
“Wandering, walking through rhymes and verbal shifts. Touch the meaning of words and invent a counterpoint with notes. (…) These miniatures do not explain, do not impose, do not paraphrase poems, they say what everyone wants to hear – or not -, between mechanic and sensuality, between silence and heaviness, between movement and inertia. Infinite in their diversity, the sounds of saxophones do the rest!” Sylvain Marchal

“Etude tango n°3”, of William Grosjean, duration 2’46.
Originally written for a clarinet quartet, thiq nervous and frantic tango has been rewritten for a saxophone octet and percussions.