Sinfonia in honore Sancti Joannis Baptistae (3 mvts)

Naji Hakim is a french organist and composer born in Lebanon in 1955. He succeded Messiaen as organist at La Trinité in Paris from 1993 to 2008.
This Sinfonia has 3 movements :
- Ut queant laxis (a set of short contrasting variations on StJean-Baptiste's hymn "Ut queant laxis")
- at 4' : Ecce Agnus Dei : a meditative piece with a kind of soft carillon in the middle
- at 8' : in Spiritu et Igni : a joyous fire dance with fierce ostinato.

One can find in this sinfonia the main ingredients of Naji Hakim's language :
- tonal language, immediately attractive ;
- an often rhapsodic writing with ethereal moments and sudden bursts of energy ;
- quick ostinatos which something of Stravinsky ;
- fast unisons ;
- moments with a kind of oriental flavor ;
- dance-like passages with great rhythmic drive ;
- use of gregorian themes and of folkloric themes.

There is not much from him on CCH ; hope you will like this composer's music :-)