When the quartet approached me to write miniatures, I was delighted. At first glance, one might think that the miniature is a thankless format, due to the fact that it affords the composer little time to develop the musical material. But the quartet had a second request: the use of virtual instruments. A doubly thankless commission, you say? On the contrary, the miniature format has allowed me to optimise several types of treatment within a context of concision. When it comes to the challenge of developing the musical material in an abbreviated context, I opted either for a grand musical gesture or for a complex structure (as in longer works), but all atomised, compressed into a tight ball of activity: the miniature. I would like to thank the Quatuor Bozzini for its collaboration.

[iv-06]

Premiere

• April 6, 2006, Bozzini Quartet • 4 générations III, Chapelle Saint-Louis — Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Montréal (Québec)