Julien Durand
Guitarist | Composer | Educator
Based in London, UK
+447873877891
PROJECTS
AWAKENING OF THE VOICE
Written for choir and jazz quintet, this original suite of music will feature texts by Emily Dickinson (This Consciousness that is not Aware), Arthur Rimbaud (Aube), Charles Baudelaire (Correspondances), William Wordsworth (The Prelude), Shakespeare (The Tempest) and Percy Shelley (Ozymandias). The ensemble features singers from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, conductor Dexter Drown and trumpeter Percy Pursglove.
STORY:
Long ago, before the existence of the Heavens and Earth, in the emptiness of the universe, there existed only an egg. One day, this egg started pulsing and cracked, and from it was born a slender and powerful creature. New to this world, the creature wandered and wandered but could not find any other entity akin to her, or anything else for that matter, that existed in this wide and empty cosmos.
Alone in this infinite space, the creature shed a tear, languishing in the sorrow of her loneliness. However, as the creature sobbed and a cry escaped her lips, the tears flowing from her eyes became the Ocean. Amazed by what she had just witnessed, she took a deep inhale and, on her exhale, created the Wind and the Sky. Inhaling even deeper, she then created the Earth. And so, with each exhale she created the mountains, the trees and then birds and lions and the entire animal kingdom. So as to vanquish her loneliness, she created Speech to allow her to communicate with the animals, and they thanked her and called her Mother.
The world then prospered as, wherever there was a need, the creature would open her lips and create what was necessary. Thus, were created fruit for the animals, shelter for their families and the Sun to keep them warm. As she continued harnessing her powers, the world became more complex and nuanced, with the creation of Seasons, Night and Day, and the laws of physics and more and more various animals and creatures. Soon, she created her most complex invention: humans and with them Beauty, Love and Art.
At this stage, the animals of the world went up to her and said: “Mother, look at all you have created. The world is harmonious and fulfills everyone’s needs. Please stop using your powers of creation and come live among us as there is nothing more you need to fashion.”
by Elliott Spencer-Wright
The creature looked down on the world she had created and smiled with pride. It was indeed beautiful but as she tried to rest and live among her children, her creativity and curiosity could not be dulled. She noticed that humans were the only one of her creations who did not ask her to stop and so she decided to endow them with more and more of her material inventions, as well as Curiosity and Creativity. However, humans soon became obsessed with their possessions, and this led to Envy and Greed. Their curiosity and creativity led them to discover new materials of their own and they created weapons of war and destruction. Upon realizing her mistake, she tried to take back what she had given but her powers only allowed her to create. And so, humans became capable of changing the world themselves and created War, Violence and Death.
Once again, the animals of the world confronted the creature: “Mother, look at what you have done. The world used to be harmonious and peaceful, and now it is ridden with war and violence and inequality. You must stop now before you destroy everything that is good.”
The creature could not listen however as she was endlessly sobbing, overcome with grief about what she had done. And with each sob, something dark and bleak was created. The animals realized that they had to act quickly before everything became overwhelmed by darkness. Using the weapons of war that humans had created, they all united against her and launched a full-scale attack. Their mother did not riposte but was obliterated into thousands of pieces that spread all around the Universe and became the Stars and the Planets.
J. Durand