andrew infanti 

The title of this work for solo piano (1981) by Jouni Kaipainen nearly quotes the aphorism which opens René Char’s poem A la santé du serpent (Here’s to the Snake):

« Je chante la chaleur à visage de nouveau-né, la chaleur désespérée. »

[“I sing the heat with a new-born’s face, desperate heat.”]

According to the composer, the image of such a face is at the core of the piece: Birth, he says, is probably the harshest moment in a human’s life, but for the parents, it is also the most tender and warm possible.

These opposing impressions animate the piece, expressed through extremely contrasting tempi. With this in mind, Andrew Infanti performs live Je chante la chaleur désespérée.