Three wise monkeys for 3 tenor recorders

This piece has been commissioned and created by Polyphonica Ensemble of the UK with Grace Barton, Simone Curley & Michael Piraner. Its premiere was in August 2013 as part of the Association Accueil Musical at the Eglise St Merry in Paris. It is inspired by the sculpture attributed to Hidari Jingoro (1594-1634) in the Tōshōgū sanctuary in Nikkō (Japan). Kikazaru (the deaf), Mizaru (the blind) and Iwazaru (the mute), the names of these three monkeys, who cover the corresponding part of the face, literally means: "I do not hear what I should not hear", "I do not see what I should not see" and "I do not say what I should not say".

According to the principle of the sect Koshin: We will avoid trouble if we follow these three conditions. This maxim was particularly embraced by M. Gandhi who always kept with him a small sculpture of the three monkeys.

In Japanese, the three wise monkeys are called: Sanzaru. The negative suffix "zaru" means “not” but from a phonetic standpoint sounds similar to "saru" (monkey). Moreover, the word "saru" also means "go" and is related to "evil".

My goal was to put a little humor and lightness into the music and I was inspired by the attitude of the 3 monkeys, which although they represent some philosophical subjects, do have a certain funny aspect. The sonorities of the 3 recorders could very well exhibit these characters and at the same time be light and spiritual.