Le Grand

"Le Grand" was commissioned in 2018 for the 30th anniversary of the Atrion Music Hall (Akita City), and premiered there in January of the following year (conducted by Shimpei Sasaki).
The French title "Le Grand" means "great" or "grand" and corresponds to the English word "Great".
It has a celebratory and dignified character like a commemorative piece and is in a free compositional three-part form. The opening section begins with a heroic horn melody, and the first half of the work unfolds in a lively manner. In the middle section, the tempo slows, and several melodies and motifs intertwine gracefully with counterpoint. Ending the middle section, the music soars to a climax, and the opening horn theme is reprised by brass to the rhythm of the bass drum imitating a heartbeat. The opening chimes, still in use at Atrion Music Hall, ring to signify the "opening of the 31st year" of the hall, and the bells blend in with the music. The second half of the piece is a reenactment of the first half, followed by a frenzied coda ending work abruptly.
The opening bells were specially used for the first performance, but carillons and chimes are used in place of the bells in regular performances. The trumpet is notated for Bb, but the composer prefers to use C.
It should be noted that the opening bells of the Atrion Music Hall are by Mr. Masamicz Amano, a composer from the same town. The opening chime is the symbolic sound of the hall. Needless to say, I was greatly inspired by the presence of this hall and the opening bells, which I have been fond of since my childhood. I am grateful to Mr. Amano and the Atrion Music Hall for their kind cooperation in allowing me to use their words in the piece. It is a nice coincidence that Mr. Amano and I were both graduates of the same high school.

(Shunsuke Abe)