3 progressive albums, with CD included, that provide students with contemporary repertoire adapted to their level, starting from the first years and throughout the course of their musical studies. The title of these albums refers to the Piano 20-21 collection, weil known and appreciated by pianists since its publication in 2002, and which, in 2004, received the SACEM Prize for best educational score. Who could be better suited than Maryvonne Le Dizès, (teacher at the National Regional Conservatory in Boulogne-Billancourt, principal violinist of the Ensemble InterContemporain under the direction of Pierre Boulez, and artist who premiered numerous works dedicated to her) to take on the artistic direction of this collection ? It was at her request that internationally famous composers agreed to write for young violinists. We thank them for their contributions and congratulate them on brilliantly meeting the challenge of writing for students without in any way compromising their style, they who most often compose for virtuoso concert artists... among whom they may, tomorrow, discover the students of today.
Contemporary musical vocabulary introduces a certain number of complications that are not so insurmountable as one may be led to believe. Admittedly, in relation to traditional techniques, there are differences and specifie problems, as is the case for ail areas probed by new creative undertakings. The references are not exactly the same, but they are derived from precedents,. problems do not arise without reason. It is sufficient to address them with ample pragmatism. It is true, for example, that to check intonation it is not enough to rely on established relationships within even an expanded tonality, but instead, is necessary to focus on the precise relationships within the intervals themselves. It is true that rhythm and duration now exploit dimensions left unexplored until recently. It is not possible to simply rely on a steady meter, because rhythmical asymmetries have been in use for close to a century. Not only is meter variable, but note length can itself float in an area of total liberty that one must learn to master, especially in ensemble playing. The use of timbre has also been considerably enlarged, as much through the extension of classical usage as by certain more recent innovations, which have become readily employed. Thus, in order to be prepared to assimilate this instrumental as weil as stylistic evolution, it is necessary to have access to "etudes" that focus on the various problems of playing and of interpretation. Being familiar with these problems is the essential solution: it opens the door to the contemporary domain, enriches the catalogue of instrumental means, and indicates the best way to approach interpretation. There is no other secret than having the most direct access to the revisions in musical language.
Preface by Pierre BOULEZ