Comissioned by Saonora, centre culturel de Macon.

Written for twelve saxophones, Duel is a play between a chord made of twelve sounds and the unison. It is also a real duel between saxophone players performing horn to horn... The intended effect is interferences creating beats and complex sounds.
It is also the first part of a more substantial piece: "Duel searching for the hymn".
The title refers to a score written by Hector Berlioz towards the end of his life for Adolphe Sax. This score was fiercely searched by eminent personalities of the music world, hence the idea of a "duel".
In the second part (searching for the hymn), numerous saxophones invade the auditorium as if it was an attack by encircling the audience.
As the "army" of saxophones join the group of twelve soloists, the score then suggests a play on the sonic masses of the ensemble in its entirety (46 separate parts). But nothing is really won as a "group" of small saxophone players is also about to invade the stage...