Pascal Jugy: DES BRUMES AU ZÉNITH

Pascal Jugy, born in 1964 in Loches, France (Indre et Loire), is a composer who studied natural sciences and acquired a diploma in acoustics while teaching himself guitar and music theory. He continued his musical education at the University of Strasbourg, studying composition, orchestration, and the history of contemporary music with François-Bernard Mâche, Georges Block, and Marta Grabocz.

His interest in contemporary music and studio technology led him to the Lyon Conservatory (CNSM) and then to IRCAM (Summer School 1996 & 1997), where he studied with Ivan Fedele, Magnus Lindberg, Jonathan Harvey, and Gérard Grisey. Despite this interest, Jugy's work remains largely connected to the tonal system.

Since 2006, he has closely collaborated with flutist Johannes Hustedt (Karlsruhe) and guitarist Andreas Hiller, who interpret the works of Jugy's new album "DES BRUMES AU ZENITH" (Animato, 2019) on flute and 10-string guitar.

Jugy's interest in the 10-string guitar developed from his encounter with Andreas Hiller. "It is an interesting instrument. It not only extends the tonal range in the lower register of the guitar, but the extra strings create resonance vibrations that enrich the spectrum of colors. 10-string guitars offer new chord possibilities and an immense selection of natural harmonics. For example, the piece 'Géopoèmes et gouttes d’eau' cannot be played on a six-string guitar."

Jugy frequently uses the flute-guitar duo in his compositions "due to the natural balance between the two instruments - in terms of dynamics and timbre." In these duos, the flute and guitar play an equal role: "they are indeed not accompanied solos but duets."

In addition to the uniqueness of the instrumentation, there is a spiritual dimension in Jugy's music. A dimension that uplifts a person and helps them grow towards the light. "This is also the metaphorical meaning of the title 'Des brumes au zénith' (From Mists to Zenith)."