Canon Form

The physical distance separating the two ensembles separates them in time.  Even signals traveling as fast as they can, at the speed of light, need roughly  25 milliseconds to pass from one ensemble to the other, while slower signals moving at the speed of sound require 4.5 hours.  The same distance can also be thought of in musical time, where it takes a quater note a certain number of beats at a given tempo to pass from one ensemble to the next.  In Jeux Symphoniques,  distance and metric phase relationships become primary elements of the musical experience,  drawing inspiration from  well-established forms with influences ranging from Bach to Steve Reich, with new modes of expression.

Musical Flow

A live stream originating in Montreal and containing the local ensembles'  instrument feeds and  a video capture of the conductor,  is sent to Paris, where music played by the Paris ensemble , led by the remote conductor following a common score,  is similarly captured, sent back to Montreal,  and synchronized to the Montreal ensemble using a tempo-related delay.  In both locations, local live musicians are accompanied by  remote musicians,  in a music of echoes, counterpoint, and juxtaposition. 

A simple example below illustrates the use of canonic writing and the use of musical delay to create a third voice for a two-part canon.