Born in Hué
(Vietnam), Ton-That Tiêt (www.tonthattiet.com)
studied in Paris with Jean Rivier and
André Jolivet. The latter undoubtedly
had a great influence on Ton-That’s
musical thinking, for his music is deeply
imbued with mysticism. That element
was part of Jolivet’s humanistic concern,
as may be found in works such as Incantations,
Mana, Mandala
or Yin Yang. As with many
Eastern composers of his and later generations,
Ton-That Tiêt aims at a blend
of Eastern and Western traditions, in
much the same way, but often with different
results, as Takemitsu, Tan Dun, Zhou
Long, Nishimura, Hosokawa and his fellow
countryman Nguyen Thien Dao (b. 1940).
Les jardins d’autre
monde is in a single movement
and consists of four tableaux linked
by three short interludes. The tableaux
evoke the four emperors who reigned
in Hué during the 19th
Century up to 1883, each of whom had
a grave built for his afterlife. The
graves are situated in a garden, and
each grave and garden have thus a character
of their own reflecting each emperor’s
personality: the first emperor’s grave
is "austere and majestic",
that of the second is "geometric
and mystic", that of the third
who reigned a mere eight years is "peaceful
and almost without character" whereas
that of the last is "a garden full
of life ... where Time ceases to exist".
The work opens with an arresting gesture:
heavy drum strokes and a wind chord
suggesting some primitive Eastern instrument
such as the shô (like a mouth
organ). Then, each section evokes in
often vivid instrumental touches the
character of each grave. This colourful
and attractive work is scored for a
small mixed ensemble in which the harp’s
part is prominent without being truly
soloistic.
The layout of the string
trio Et la rivière chante
l’éternité is
not unlike that of the preceding work,
in that it, too, consists of three sections
("Chants") separated by three
trios and two interludes, the whole
played without break in an appropriately
free-flowing structure.
Of the three works
recorded here, Poèmes
is the one in which East meets West,
in the most explicit way since it is
scored for the "Debussy trio"
of flute, viola and harp and a Ca Trù
trio – the latter on tape as I understand.
First, a short piece of musical erudition:
Ca Trù is a scholarly Eastern
music type with its own precise rules
as to modes, rhythms, ornamentation
and even improvisation; and a Ca Trù
ensemble consists of a singer, a lute
and a drum; information drawn from the
booklet. The work is based on poems
by Li Po, and may be perceived as a
suite of haikus, in turn introspective
and vividly colourful, by way of brief,
but telling brushstrokes. The piece
ends with an accompanied recitation,
in French, of a few words by Li Po I
suppose. In many ways, this beautifully
suggestive work is similar to Tan Dun’s
Out of Peking Opera, Qigang
Chen’s Iris dévoilée
or Zhou Long’s Out of Tang
Court, which all confront
and at times reconcile Eastern and Western
musical traditions while clearly eschewing
any all-too-easy picturesque clichés.
These often beautiful
works are characterised by remarkable
subtlety and great sonic refinement,
and each is perfectly balanced so that
none outstays its welcome. Ton-That
Tiêt’s sound-world is entirely
his own, but it clearly demonstrates
that music transcends all borders and
is able to address any audience willing
to take the plunge. If you know and
like any of the music the Eastern composers
I have mentioned in this review, Ton-That
Tiêt’s music is for you too, even
if it will soon be clear that he draws
on another tradition with its own age-old
history. Excellent performances and
recording, although the composer’s own
notes might have told us a bit more
about the music; but perhaps the composer
wants to leave much to one’s imagination.
Hubert Culot
for details
