Anthèmes I for solo violin
Pierre Boulez composed two related works called Anthèmes I and Anthèmes II.
The title is a hybrid of the French “themes” and the English “anthem” and also a word game on the “anti-thematicism” signifying that he uses themes after many years of not using them. Anthèmes I is a short 9 minutes piece for solo violin commissioned by the 1991 Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists, it is based on childhood memories of Catholic Church services in which the Jeremiah Lamentations were intoned.
