Word: frere
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...first portion of the symphony, which starts out as quiet as death, grew louder then softer as the piece progressed, and never let its ominous undertones escape. Before too long, the familiar melody of "Frere Jacques" creeps into the orchestra, seducing one section at a time until every instrument had slowly succumbed. This movement is known to parody a funeral march, but what is being parodied--the funeral or the children's song--remains a morbid mystery...
Walk the island's one-mile circumference, and you'll notice a number of FOR MONKS ONLY signs. When I checked in for the first time, Brother Jean-Marie, the frere hotelier, observed that he seldom returned to "the other side," which is what he called Cannes and the material world beyond. On my arrival, we spent an hour discussing things like Aristotle, St. Augustine, the human condition and contemporary affairs before he reminded me of the house "rules." "Do not talk to monks, go into the monks' living quarters or chat with other guests inside the abbey grounds...
...third movement is a weird fusion of tragedy and parody. "Frere Jacques" turns up in a chilling minor key, but then the mood is undone by silly outbursts from a clarinet and general schmaltziness. When another "Wayfarer" melody appears, there is a long, painfully beautiful phrase for the oboe that draws the audience close, but then the grotesquerie returns. This plus the final recapitulation of "Frere Jacques" creates the intended unsettling experience...
...contraire, mon frere...