Nigel Keay - "Labyrinthe" - Duo for Flute and Viola

Nigel Keay - "Labyrinthe" - Duo for Flute and Viola (2018)

The duo is in three movements and is approximately 8 minutes in duration.

Score, PDF, 8 pages, 195Kb (both staves 7mm)

The title of the duo, Labyrinthe, is a reference to a bas-relief in bronze, with the same title, created in 1974 by the sculptor Karl-Jean Longuet. I saw an anology in the duo to the architectural shapes in the bas-relief, which itself had been inspired by a reflection on aspects of music. A photo of the bas-relief was featured on the cover of the CD Music for Small Groups. This CD included a recording of Terrestrial Mirror for flute, viola and harp, and the duo was in part conceived as a possible companion piece for the trio, being a sub-grouping of that combination. On the music itself, the second movement is somewhat a patchwork of tonality-based cells going in and out of phase with each other while the work ends with material of a chorale-like feel based on earlier in the duo.

Upcoming performance;

Dimanche 18 janvier 2026 à 20h00, Studio L'Accord Parfait, 47 rue Ramey, 75018 Paris.

Clarinette : Frédérique Moine
Alto : Nigel Keay, Povilas Syrrist-Gelgota, Emlyn Stam, Diane Neal-Phoenix, Jutta Puchhammer-Sédillot.Viole d'amour : Yvain Delahousse
Piano : Isabelle Dutel, Sherry Grant
Flûte : François Veilhan

Past performances;

Sunday 15 June 2025, 5pm, La Chapelle de l'Agneau de Dieu, 2 Place Henri Frenay, 75012 Paris. François Veilhan - flute, alto flute, Nigel Keay - viola, Antoine Payen de la Garanderie, baritone. Programme; Jacques Ibert (1890 - 1962) - Deux Stèles Orientées pour voix et flûte (5' 21"), Nigel Keay (né en 1955) - Labyrinthe pour flûte et alto (2018) (8'), Marc Bleuse (né en 1937) - Au soir pour flûte en sol; Récitatif, Moderato, Cantilène, Scherzando, Final. (création) (8'), Jean-Claude Wolff (né en 1946) - Exils d'automne (2024, création) (9'), Une chanson du mal-aimé, pour voix et flûte (2020) (12')

Concert by the Ensemble Traces d'Aujourd'hui at Eglise Notre Dame de Malakoff, 80 avenue Pierre Larousse, Malakoff 9224,. Saturday 23rd June 2024, 3pm, and Saturday 25th May 2024, 8pm, Mundolingua, 10 rue Servandoni, Paris 6ème. Programme; Nigel Keay, Labyrinthe (2018) pour flûte et alto, Pierre Israël-Meyer, Duo pour flûte et alto, Jacques Ibert; Deux Stèles Orientées pour voix et flûte, Jean-Claude Wolff; Une chanson du mal-aimé, pour flûte et voix, sur des vers d'Apollinaire. François Veilhan, flûte, Nigel Keay, viola, Antoine Payen de la Garanderie, voix.

Recorded 1st December 2019 by Tessa Brinckman (flute) and Nigel Keay (viola)
.wav recording mastered by Andrew Levine