Philippe Leroux: Un lieu verdoyant, version for tenor voice and tenor saxophone Rautiola-Delangle

Philippe Leroux (b. 1959) is a French composer whose music is marked by a refined exploration of sound, gesture, resonance, continuity and transformation. His works often move between instrumental energy and highly detailed timbral writing, with a particular interest in the way musical processes unfold and transform over time. Un lieu verdoyant (1999) is based on the Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah and was conceived as a homage to Gérard Grisey. Leroux described the piece as a testimony of affection and admiration for Grisey, dealing with anxiety, bitterness, death and an inner gaze that reaches beyond it. Claude Delangle (b. 1957) has a particularly close and important relationship with Leroux’s music. He has premiered several of the composer’s major works, including the concerto L’Unique trait de pinceau, the solo soprano saxophone work Conca Reatina – Ruban de Möbius, and Noûs for saxophone and piano with Odile Delangle. Over many years, Delangle has been one of the central interpreters and advocates of Leroux’s works for saxophone. Joonatan Rautiola (b. 1983) is a Finnish singer and saxophonist who performs in a wide range of musical contexts in Finland and internationally. Alongside his performing career, he teaches at the Conservatoire de Paris (CNSMDP) and at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. Live recording, Chapelle des Pénitents in Gap, France, July 16th 2025.