LDV103

34 POÉTESSES SYMPHONIQUES What is the structure of the suite? There are seven movements: Strolling away , Knocks and clocks , Strolling about , Shakes and quakes , Strolling under , Chants and cheers , then Strolling home . It’s a walking movement, presented in four versions, each of which, except for the final one, leads to a movement with a specific character. The idea of ‘strolling’ is a leisurely walk that you take for relaxation. The reason for the ‘Summer’ is that I finished writing the suite in June. So this meant a return to the orchestra for you? Yes, this piece was the starting point for other commissions: a final phase, you might say. In addition to my very friendly relationship with Sir Simon Rattle, who is amused by my great age and the fact that I have known absolutely all the great names in twentieth-century music, I received an enthusiastic welcome from the musicians in Berlin. Generally speaking, I’ve always done my best to make performers happy in my music. For this recording I really enjoyed working with David Reiland. We had already collaborated at the Paris Conservatoire on Iliade l’amour , a revised version of my opera Schliemann . We got on very well right from the start.