Evoking this new work, which we can be sure will remain in the pantheon of the French post-modernity like the famous Trio after Marin Marais, the composer Philippe Hersant uses the characteristical words of "proofreading" and " extension". Here, it is a question of the "Madrilenian" quintet of Boccherini’s nocturne, program music before time – an oh so sensitive matter that will certainly require the goldsmith expertise of Philippe Hersant to reveal the contemporary asperities. 

"In 1780, Luigi Boccherini composed one of his masterpieces in the vicinity of Avila. That piece was the string quintet Musica notturna delle strade di Madrid. The author relates how the work, one of surprising beauty, describes the music heard at night in the streets of Madrid. In succession, it evokes the church bells calling the faithful to Vespers, the popular dances, the blind beggars’ laments, the evening prayers, the street singers, and the troop of soldiers announcing the curfew and urging the residents of Madrid to return to their homes.

The work abounds in instrumental finds of all sorts (imitations of the guitar, drum and bassoon), and it is one of the most inventive pieces in existence.
I have long had the idea of drawing inspiration from this music and presenting it as a contemporary vision, a bit like what I did in my Trio : variations sur la "sonnerie de Sainte-Geneviève-du-mont" de Marin Marais. I would significantly expand the original string quintet and use a small orchestral group, including wind and percussion. In no way, however, will it be a transcription. Rather, it will be an enhanced variation, an expansion – a reinterpretation of Boccherini’s work."

Philippe Hersant

Commisioned by Pulcinella Orchestra 

Concert date 

 24 May 2018 - Pulcinella Orchestra, Ophélie Gaillard conducting, Théâtre des Bergeries, Noisy-le-Sec

Read the score

Website of the composer ➡️ http://www.philippehersant.com/html/fr/agenda.php