Jeux (1971) - Gilbert Amy
Insights
Jeux is a so-called ‘open’ or ‘mobile’ piece for 1 to 4 oboe(s), in which a wide range of choices are delegated to the performer(s) (path, speed, sound parameters, articulations, etc.).
This mode of composition is specific to an artistic movement that swept through the 1950s, 60s and 70s, and from which the composers of the Darmstadt School - who felt that control of all the parameters of the score had ended up depriving the performer of all freedom - drew inspiration in their search to redefine the balance of roles between composer and performer.
A very interesting way of approaching this piece is to compare the 1971 version for oboe with the 2012 version for saxophone, described as a "pragmatic update" by the composer himself. The almost infinite choices delegated to the performer in the first version becomes clarified and limited.