Les Eaux célestes is inspired by an ancient Chinese legend and is divided into four moments.

Orihime, daughter of the sky god, weaves the clouds to create clothes for the gods of the celestial kingdom. Hikoboshi, the cowherd of the stars, takes care of the dairy cows in order to feed the kingdom. They fall madly in love and gradually abandon their respective tasks. The cows go astray and the gods wait in vain for their clothes. If this part starts with impalpable and blurred sonorities (dephasing of strings, clouds of string harmonies that move about, percussions with bow), it then becomes more mechanical (ephemeral lines of woodwinds and keyboards), as the princess weaves (Weaving the clouds).

Then the substance unravels, and the god of the sky decides to separate the two lovers by placing between them a great celestial river called the Milky Way. This moment results in a crescendo leading to a first climax symbolizing the pain shared by the two lovers (The separation).

Touched by their sadness, the god of the sky finally allows them to meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month. At the time of their reunion, they do not know how to cross the celestial waters, and the princess, distraught, begins to cry. Her tears fall delicately on the fragile and vaporous texture of the clouds (harp and celesta on a background of string harmonics), creating small pearls of light in the sky (Droplets of tears).

But a flock of birds passing by decides to help the lovers. With their wings, they form a bridge over the river, allowing the couple to reunite. The out-of-phase keyboards (vibraphone, marimba and celesta) create the texture leading to the final climax, bursting and celebrating the love between the two lovers (Bridge of wings).

In this work, two melodic motifs are used: the first one evokes Debussy’s Nuages (F#–E–F#–D–E–C#–F#) and represents the cloud-weaver goddess; the second, the pentatonic motif (E–F#–A–B–C#) features the cowherd of the stars.

To illustrate this legend, I used textures and blends of new timbres. The vibraphone, crotales, and cowbells when played with a bow, represent the impalpable clouds. The strings move in space like a fog that one would try in vain to catch. Tuned cowbells, tubular bells and the earthy sound of the marimba symbolize the cowherd of the stars. Gong, a Chinese cymbal and the celesta in the low register transport us to China. The keyboards are also used in a shimmering way, like stars. The woodwind parts are fluid, virtuosic, and have many spindly lines like the rustling of wings.

If I chose this legend, it is because it inspired many orchestral colours and because if the stars speak of the universe, our stories about them reveal something about us.

Camillé Pépin