Composer, pianist, writer

Trois Derviches

(Three Dervishes)

Strings Trio - 2020 DLM 0128

This piece is a part of the cycle Le Voyage immobile.
Recorded by Sébastien Surel, Pierre Lenert and Alexis Descharmes.

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"At a time when we feel that everything has already been composed, in every style and aesthetic, it is pleasant to encounter music that is unlike any other. The string trio Trois Derviches by Denis Levaillant is one of those singular objects. The strangeness lies in the choice of a raw harmony, of intervals with medieval colors, not to say medieval in places. The instrumental techniques are very classical. The homorhythm between the violin, viola, and cello gives the whole a transparent simplicity. The calculated poverty of the sound and the obsessive nature of its development perfectly evoke these whirling dervishes, poor by choice and with rituals as strange as they are crazy. With its accessible style and simple composition, which makes the three instruments sound and stand out, the Trois Derviches trio has all the qualities required to find its place in the favorite repertoire of musicians and audiences alike."
Alexis Descharmes, currently cellist of the Diotima Quartet.


Un mystérieux chemin

Alto solo - 2019
DLM 0102

Recorded by Pierre Lenert

Infused with the music of North India, departure of the Gypsy journey, this work is part of the cycle The Immobile Journey. It was recorded by Pierre Lenert, first solo viola of the Orchestre de l'Opéra National de Paris. He plays the viola of Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume from 1865, "Comte Cheremetiev."

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"In the spellbinding universe of Denis Levaillant's music, Un mystérieux chemin for solo viola opens with delicate sonorities, evoking a journey through enchanting, distant soundscapes. Each note seems to be a step on a hidden path where sonorities intertwine. The viola's playing, sometimes soft as a whisper, sometimes as powerful as a cry, invites deep introspection. This musical journey, dotted with surprises and discoveries, encourages us to explore the recesses of our own imaginations. Each note becomes a stage, each silence a contemplative pause, giving us time to dream and feel. Un mystérieux chemin - a work destined to enter the repertoire - thus reveals itself as a musical tribute to the beauty of the unexplored, where the listener's soul awakens to new sensations." Pierre Lenert, principal viola with the Orchestra of the Paris National Opera


L'Intime

String trio - 2015
DLM 0071

Part of the Le Voyage immobile cycle
Recorded by Trio Varèse

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Armenian Gypsy

One Page Music for solo cello - 2008
DLM 0044

Premiered by Marie-Thérèse Grisenti
Recorded by Jean-Phillipe Audin

'This highly inspired piece in the style of Armenian folklore calls for refinement in colours and expression typical of folk music. The fast rhythms, even though precise, must sound improvised. Possible at the end of the 6th year of studies.'
Marie-Thérèse Grisenti

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"Reading music is a privileged moment that imposes the shaping of sounds, from the academic to the most unavowable evasions of one's inner self. It's the prerequisite for interpretation. Armenian Gipsy is one of those luminous pieces where the apparent complexity of the ornamentation imposes appropriation right up to the moment of oral restitution, which becomes self-evident. The emotions experienced when discovering the doudouk and the following encounters guide the tool toward the wide-open paths of improvisation. Don't throw anything away! A work to be lived in the simplicity of meditation". Jean-Philippe Audin.


Russian song

One Page Music for solo cello - 2008
DLM 0032

Premiered and recorded by Marie-Thérèse Grisenti

‘Gliding, swaying and flowing, this song for two voices develops flexibility and endurance. One will find feelings in it close to the third of Schumann’s 5 Stücke im Volkston. Suitable for the 3rd cycle and above.’
Marie-Thérèse Grisenti

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Voyage tsigane (Gipsy journey)

String Quartet n°3, 18' - 2004
DLM 0012

The Arpeggione Quartet premiered this work at the Salle Gaveau in Paris, 2006 October 6th (as part of the "Les Paris de la Musique" Festival).

Recorded by Quatuor Varese studio Paris-Forêt, 2022.

Movement 1 - Click to listen to the music and read the score synchronised
Movement 2 - Click to listen to the music and read the score synchronised
Movement 3 - Click to listen to the music and read the score synchronised

Mouvement n°3

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Le Clair, l'obscur (The light, the dark)

String Quartet n°2, 24' - 1996/1997
DLM 0022

The Arpeggione Quartet premiered and recorded this work

Excerpt Sample pages

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Les Heures défaites

String Quartet n°1, 17' - 1987
DLM 0002

The Joachim Quartet recorded this work.

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Suite pour Hedda

Concert piece for string quartet, 17' - 1987
The Flammer Quartet recorded this work.

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La Séraphine

Concert piece for double bass, 7'30 - 1984


Squatt

Concert piece for cello and piano, 7'30 - 1979

© 2017 Denis Levaillant - Contact: Tom Guillouard