Passeurs d’eau is a composition by Thierry Pécou, created in 2004, which marked the beginning of his collaboration with the Native American music duo Yaki Kandru (Sylvie Blasco and Jorge Lopez Palacio) and was part of a poetic and fertile dialogue with the traditions of many indigenous cultures of the Americas. Myths and rituals awaken unconscious or preconscious imagery lodged deep within us, touching on universal archetypes found across all cultures. Music has the power to reveal and convey, beyond words, the meaning of these myths, which is undoubtedly why they often inform musical creation.

This sentiment inspired this programme, which features three other pieces by Thierry Pécou related to Native American music: Lolohi for flute, which reprises three intimate songs about everyday life; Manoa, which evokes the legend of El Dorado; and Nanook Trio, which transports us to the world of the Inuit of Canada's Far North. This piece is derived from music originally composed for Robert Flaherty's silent film Nanook of the North, which depicted the tragic story of an Inuit family in the 1920s.
As a reference to the aquatic world, The Song of a Fish by Ukrainian composer Anna Korsun will precede Nanook.
A traditional interlude during the Ensemble Variances concerts at Salle Cortot will feature a composition by a student from the Ecole Normale de Musique.
Finally, Venezuelan musician and choir director Anna Maria Raga has collected and arranged songs from the Pemón and Warao cultures, both from the Venezuelan Amazon. Rearranged by the Ensemble Variances, this short composition will serve as a final echo to Passeurs d'eau, bringing the concert to a close.