Les Voyages du Commandant Cousteau for Tuba & Organ - Tom Gontier

Tuba: Bart Van Neyghem Organ: Nikolas Fehr Recording Engineer: Øyvind Driveklepp (Audio Design) Recorded at Ålesund Church (Norway) on 16th August 2022. Order your score at https://www.gontier.no/shop/p/les-voy... Solo parts are provided for C tuba (B.C.) and Eb tuba (T.C.). The life and work of the French oceanographer, filmmaker and author Jacques-Yves Cousteau (1910-1997) served as a source of inspiration in composing "Les voyages du commandant Cousteau" (The Travels of Commander Cousteau) for tuba and organ. The use of tuba multiphonics, various percussion instruments and the full dynamic range of the organ, contributes to a musically truthful depiction of life beneath the ocean's surface. The lively start of the work, "Calypso, nymphe de la mer" (Calypso, the Sea Nymph), tells the story of Calypso, Cousteau´s main expedition vessel for diving, filming and oceanographic research. "Le monde du silence" (The Silent World) serves as a contrast to the first movement in both style and atmosphere. The title of the movement refers to one of the first films directed by Cousteau, in which he uses underwater cinematography to show the ocean depths in color. The final movement, "Voyage au bout du monde"(Voyage to the Edge of the World), is a depiction of Cousteau´s four-month expedition through Antarctica. During this expedition, paleontologist and Calypso´s second in command Michel Laval died in a helicopter accident. "La mort de Michel Laval" (The Death of Michel Laval) expresses this tragic event. "Les voyages du commandant Cousteau" is composed for and dedicated to the young Norwegian tubaist Emil Rademacher Krogsæter.