Sur le Même Accord

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Sur le Même Accord is a piece by French composer Henri Dutilleux. The work is for solo violin and orchestra and was composed for violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. It was premiered on 28 Apr 2002 in London by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Mutter was the violinist and the conductor was Kurt Masur. The piece lasts about 10 minutes in performance.

The orchestration of the works is: 2 Flutes (1st doubles Piccolo), 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets, 1 Bass Clarinet, 2 Bassoons, 2 Horns, 2 Trumpets, 2 Trombones, Tuba, Timpani, 3 Percussion, Harp and Strings

Dutilleux describes the piece as "a nocturne-like work"[1]. The one movement falls into an introduction followed by an alternation of rapid music and slow, lyrical passages:

Introduction - Rapid Music - Lyrical Section I - Rapid Music - Lyrical Section II - Rapid Music

The entire piece is based on one six-note chord, heard at the beginning of the piece, which is manipulated in various ways. The chord has the property of all-combinatoriality, and Dutilleux uses this property several times to create an aggregate. The piece also features the Dutilleux trademark of mirror writing, which can be heard in several passages. The work is tonally centered around G, which is established by assertion, most notably by the repeated use of the violin's low open G.