Catalog
Orchestral works
[2022] Suite Symphonique "Mastaia"
Movements:
I. Thème d’Iftar
II. Conversation Sous-Marine
III. Thème d’Hollis
Program notes:
This piece is drawn from the MASTAIA project and has been rearranged, cropped and re-orchestrated for small orchestra. The 3 pieces presented in this suite all have a different mood from one another, but each movement has at least one shared motif.
The first piece of this suite, the “Iftar Theme”, one of the protagonists of the work, is divided into three parts: the meditative introduction exposing the theme, portraying the character immersed in deep reflection; the second, larger-than-life extravaganza, representative of the character’s strong masculine energy and vivacity, where the theme is heard re-exposed; and the third, calm and serene but with aspects of complexity within the orchestration, thus serving to characterize Iftar’s reflective and contemplative side when he is alone and focused.
The second movement begins with an introduction reminiscent of Iftar’s theme, slow, meditative and mysterious, which also evokes the character’s reflection. It is based on a conversation that Iftar has with one of his colleagues in an underwater tunnel lined with deep blue colors and fish swimming above the heads. Muffled elements can be heard intermingling, surrounded by a moving opaque mist, describing the course of the water and the depth of the seabed. Other fragments were included in this movement, one of which was used for Iftar’s meditations, when disturbed by an incident, and another depicting a waterfall. Then the underwater theme returns, and the movement ends with an original coda.
The third movement is based on the “Hollis Theme”. It opens with an introduction both grandiose and mysterious, followed by a passage reminiscent of the underwater theme of the second movement. It embodies Hollis’ energy, flowing like water from the depths, but also reflects the decay of time in a Japanese garden that the character inhabits. The structure of this passage is inspired by that of a Kaiyū-shiki-teien garden, distinguished by a winding pathway that is typically used to lead the viewer to an ever-changing sequence of scenic effects. Hence, appreciation and contemplation lie in the details of the garden and in the observation of subtle changes in perception that occur as our position moves through the landscape. This movement ends on a melody cut off from any temporality, as if suspended in time and space.
– Louis Germain
[2022-2023] Symphonic Poem "A Fantasy Tale" (~75 mins)
Movements:
I. Overture
II. Theme
III. Pastoral Hometown
IV. Enchanted Forest
V. Night of the Blood Moon
VI. Resurrection
VII. Snow Fields
VIII. Fighting Against Opposition
IX. The Snowy Capital
X. The Princess’ Theme
XI. Broad plains
XII. Flying to the Cascade Temple
XIII. Inside the Cascade Temple
XIV. Dark Castle
XV. Final Battle
XVI. Finale
Program notes:
This symphonic poem is my proudest tribute to the great JRPG soundtracks. Each piece has been concocted with extreme care and attention. It’s possibly one of the works I’ve had the most fun working on so far, and I’d be deeply pleased if it could impart a similar feeling to you.
From Nobuo Uematsu and Yoko Shimomura to Koichi Sugiyama, John Williams, Kohei Tanaka and Masamichi Amano, this symphonic poem pays homage to the many influences that have been around since my youth, and which introduced me to the world of soundtracks
For “Enchanted Forest”, I went for a dreamy forest ambiance, simultaneously paying homage to the forest themes of classic RPGs, and creating my own canon. There’s a lot of aleatoric repeated passages to give the feeling of a quivering nature. You can hear that the piano, harp and keyboard percussion form a complex but fairly seamless texture in the background and provide the basis for this piece. The addition of synthetic pads also makes the track quite celestial or fairy-like, with an otherworldy feeling.
“Night of the Blood Moon” is one of the few atonal-only pieces from the suite. It’s a complex and uncanny piece full of colorful textures. The piece itself isn’t based on any theme or motives but is more like a succession of musical moments evocating different landscapes and colors.
“Snow fields” has a very upbeat feel thanks to the switching meters alternating between 4/4 and 9/8 time signature, as if the character were beginning his journey and braving the difficulties of cold and terrain with fearless determination. It also features an aleatoric and semi-improvised passage, which is one of my favorite bits of the suite.
“Flying to the Cascade Temple” is my most favorite piece of the suite. It describes the hero’s journey on the back of a mystical flying creature through a land filled with waterfalls sitting on the ruins of an ancient civilization. It’s pretty imagined, but that’s really the feeling I had when composing this piece. The hero and his mount arrive at a magnificent ancient shrine hidden underwater between cascades, in the middle of a flowery field. This is where a lyrical melody invokes its grandeur. The A theme is made to represent the fly and is quite reminiscent of the old school scores of Masamichi Amano and John Williams with that majI to minIV progression. In the full piece, it gets reexposed with a busier and extravagant orchestration. The B theme stands for “the underwater level”, if I could put it that way, and focuses on aquatic color schemes.
– Louis Germain
[2022-2023] Landscapes in Deep Black and Bright Light (~13 mins)
Movements:
I. Landscape in Deep Black
II. Landscape in Bright Light
Program notes:
This piece, I think, is one of my most personal works. I believe I said everything I could within the confines of my personal style in this one. The idea behind it is to express the concept of Taiji, where duality refers to harmony and balance between opposing forces. I’ve sought to express this through music and colors by presenting two different musical landscapes, each with its specific universe and sound, one of complete blackness and the other of a bright, piercing light. Although the musical language is more or less the same, I attempted to give both landscapes their distinctive color, one lacking bright hues, or being saturated with them, the other more clear and legible, almost ethereal, like a rainbow. The orchestration is very virtuosic and the harmony changes like the shapes and colors of a kaleidoscope.
– Louis Germain
[2022-2024] "Stories" for 4 Synthesizers and Orchestra (~52 mins)
Movements:
I. Petite Fantaisie pour Orchestre (2022)
II. A Moment of rest (2023)
III. A City of Advanced Times (2024)
IV. Marche fantastique (2022)
V. Gravity Reflections (2022)
VI. Floating in Space (2022)
VII. Action 2 (2024)
VIII. Suspicion (2024)
IX. Action 5 (2024)
X. An Ending (2024)
Program notes:
I assembled this work from several pieces I composed aimlessly at different times in my life, precisely from 2022 to 2024. Although seemingly disparate, this collection is nonetheless united by a single idea: to tell a story the way a storyteller tells it. Each piece is a little tale in its own right, offering immersion within worlds ranging from the fantastical and futuristic, to the military and warlike, to the simply mundane and homely. For each of these pieces, I give the listener the choice of a title that invites them to enter these singular worlds and build a personal experience of their own.
The suite is of a very “cinematic” classical orchestral style and was originally intended as a collection of demos. As the work progressed, I realized that these demos were actual serious compositions and that they should be considered as a real symphonic suite. In spite of the very classical, even retro style, this suite presents the originality of having an ensemble of 4 keyboardists playing all kinds of synthesizers.
– Louis Germain
[2023] "The Ruined Kingdom" for Chamber orchestra & 3 Synthesizers (~25 mins)
Program notes:
This work is a deliberate tribute to the video game “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild”, composed for the launch of its sequel “Tears of the Kingdom”. I’ve adopted the codes of the game’s musical style, using synthesizers and quartal harmonies, while at the same time incorporating my own personal style for an original touch. Of all the pieces I’ve composed to date, this is undoubtedly the one with the most distinctive identity. I haven’t treated the compositional process by concentrating solely on its electronic ingredients, or even by thinking in terms of classical composition, but really by considering both as part of a single unique texture. In that sense, the creative process is very much like that of a soundtrack. So perhaps we can think of this more as a fan soundtrack?
– Louis Germain
[2023] Constellations (~9 mins)
Program notes:
Like many of my works, this piece was initially intended to be an experiment. An experiment on modes. Yet the more I worked on it, the more convincing I found the idea. The entanglement of modes and scales gives this little orchestral piece a unique, suspended, almost mystical atmosphere. The modes I used remind me of something ancient, grand and concealed, made of a perfectly indescribable architecture; hence the impression of mysticism. It brings to mind space, stars and forgotten galaxies. The title was a natural choice: Constellations. It’s not a large work, either in terms of length or instrumental power, but it sounds a lot like “me”. It’s got a certain impressionistic spirit that evokes grandeur, but also aleatoric based on my own “harmonic cloud”, as I like to call it.
– Louis Germain
[2023] Sinfonietta (~30 mins)
Movements:
I. Lento – Moderato
II. Adagio
III. Fuga
IV. Scherzo
V. Finale
Orchestral arrangements
[2022] Symphonic suite from Professor Layton (~50 mins)
Movements:
I. Puzzles 1
II. About Town ~ The Village Awakens
III. Reinhold Manor ~ Mysterious Girl
IV. London ~ To the Darkness
V. Molentary Express ~ Dropstone
VI. Suspense ~ A Disquieting Atmosphere
VII. The Town’s Past ~ Lost Forest
VIII. Puzzles 3
IX. London 2 ~ Future London
X. Searching for Clues ~ A Quiet Town
XI. Trio “The Professor’s Deductions”
XII. The Towering Pagoda
XIII. Puzzle Battle
XIV. The Mobile Fortress
XV. Mysthallery’s Many Canals
XVI. A Quiet Time ~ Calm Afternoon
XVII. Highyard Hill
XVIII. Ghost Factory
XIX. The Legendary Paradise
[2023-2024] Revisiting The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (~45 mins)
Movements:
Part 1:
I. Title Theme
II. Deku Tree
III. Flying Fairy
IV. House
V. Kokiri Forest
VI. Lost Woods
VII. Inside the Deku Tree
VIII. Boss Battle
IX. Legend of Hyrule
X. Hyrule Field
XI. Kakariko Village
XII. Middle Boss Battle
XIII. Dinosaur Boss Battle
XIV. Zora’s Domain
XV. Inside Jabu-Jabu’s Belly
XVI. Temple of Time ~ Master Sword
Part 2:
I. Sheik’s Theme
II. Forest Temple
III. Water Temple
IV. Song of Storms
V. Shadow Temple
VI. Gerudo Valley
VII. Spirit Temple
VIII. Kotake & Koume’s Theme
IX. Enter Ganondorf ~ Ganon’s Castle
X. Ganondorf Battle
XI. Last Battle ~ Ending
Chamber music
[2021] "Thème d'Iftar" pour Ensemble de Chambre
Program notes:
As you guessed from the unnecessarily frenchy-sounding title, this is Mr. Iftar’s theme from Project Mastaia. This one has quite a background. It all started 4 years ago when a team of 4 people, including myself, set out on the long journey that this project would become. At first, it was just a half-anime, half-film noir silly detective story and this theme was composed for the first character I had created. For some reason, all future character themes will change as they develop in my mind, but the theme of Iftar will remain the same.
But although the theme stayed unchanged throughout the four years, I revised the arrangement and orchestration many times to adapt to the new changes in tone and setting the project was undertaking. The original version was written for a standard orchestra with accordion, and rearranged for a small ensemble of about 20 musicians, since we weren’t planning something that would require extravagant budget. As our ambitions evolved, I rearranged the piece again for a larger orchestra of approximately 80 musicians and then expanded it to over 100 musicians. It’s a totally different piece than the one I originally wrote for this little project that didn’t have a name yet.
The version edited here is as close as possible to the original theme. It’s not Iftar yet, but almost!
– Louis Germain
[2021] Quintette pour Percussion & Guitare (5 mins)
Program notes:
This quintet explores a variety of percussion-related modes of playing, trying as much as possible to bring out the virtuosity of the musicians. I also added a guitar to bring in some harmony. Its plucked timbre complements the percussion section well in my opinion, and it’s an interesting addition. Although quite short, this work has several sections featuring different playing modes and dynamics.
– Louis Germain
[2021] Suite de Flamenco pour 2 Guitares (7 mins)
Movements:
I. Prelude
II. Alegria
III. Cantina lenta
IV. Buleria
V. Cantina lenta II
[2022] Duo pour Piano & Piano Électrique (~10 mins)
Program notes:
The timbre of the electric piano is something that has always fascinated me. It can be soft and round, but also crisp and craggy. Coupled with the incredible range and richness of tone of the acoustic piano, I found it interesting to observe the celestial texture that emerged. In this piece, the electric piano often plays the harmony part, enriching the timbre of the pedal-supported piano and creating unusual harmonics. The combination reminds me of a cluster of stars in a pitch-black sky. Think of this duet as a description of that starry sky, brimming with mystery and grandeur, perceived by the smallness of men aspiring to join their Creator.
– Louis Germain
[2022] Autour de ré mineur pour Flûte & Piano (8 mins)
Program notes:
This work was commissioned by Annecy Conservatory and is quite demanding to play. I built this piece around the single D minor chord, explored by several modes, sometimes simultaneously. I explored a number of interesting textures and styles of playing, particularly for the flute, highlighting its vast palette of expression and possible timbres. There is a quite atmospheric passage that plays on the resonances that I particularely like, it has a certain kind of mysterious dream-like atmosphere.
– Louis Germain
[2022-2023] Pièce pour Ensemble de Synthétiseur
Instrumentation:
hn, tbn, DX7, OB-Xa, pno, vln 1, vln 2, vla, vc, cb
Movements:
I. Adagio Misterioso
II. Allegro Pesante
III. Scherzo
IV. Moderato
Program notes:
This is my first foray into the “synthesizer ensemble” genre. The idea is the same as a “piano ensemble”, to have several wind and string instruments surround a keyboard in a chamber music context. Synthesizers are little explored in contemporary music, except as outdated inventions which, although they made sense when the technology was first discovered, if explored further today will only bring stagnation if not regression. I therefore tried to think of an innovative and musical way of using electronics in a melodic chamber music context. The aesthetic palette is quite broad. The first movement is rather mysterious and ethereal, perhaps even disturbing, while the third is a cute, playful scherzo.
– Louis Germain