« OMBRE ET LUMIÈRE » En hommage à Raoul Dufy for Wind Orchestra by CHRYSTEL MARCHAND (France, 1958)

[#367] Aug 03, 2026

France | 1987 | Wind Orchestra | Under-Represented Composer | Grade 5 | 12’ | Tone Poem

Premiered by Orchestre d'Harmonie de la ville du Havre by Philippe Langlet

on in Le Havre, France

This piece is available for purchase at Chrystel Marchand

Ombre et Lumière by French composer, music educator, and pedagogue Chrystel Marchand is our Composition of the Week.

Ombre et Lumière (Shadow and Light) was written in 1987 for wind orchestra, as a tribute to Raoul Dufy (1877–1953), the French painter and decorative artist whose luminous, colorful style became one of the defining visual expressions of early 20th-century modernism. Best known for his joyful depictions of harbors, regattas, concerts, and elegant social life, he also made important contributions to textile design, illustration, ceramics, and monumental public art.

Ombre et Lumière was awarded a prize at the 3rd International Composition Competition of the City of Le Havre, France. It was premiered by the city’s Wind Orchestra conducted by Philippe Langlet. The work captures contrasting moods inspired by Dufy’s art: darkness, brilliance, celebration, resilience, and the enduring maritime spirit of Le Havre.

“Alternatingly dark like Dufy’s studies of “Cargo noir”, vivid and wild like his “Bateau pavoisé”, joyful like his “14 Juillet” paintings where the French flags snap in the wind and sailors’ songs ring out, the work is dedicated to Le Havre — a city once wounded by the bombings of 1944, which rose from the ruins, was rebuilt, and today, as always, remains turned toward the sea and battered by the winds. Notes by Chrystel Marchand

Ombre et Lumière has a duration of about 12 minutes and it is scored for standard wind orchestra setting, including flugelhorns (2), double bass, harp, celesta and 5 percussion parts.

Chrystel Marchand’s career bridges artistic creation, performance, research, and higher music education. A student of Nadia Boulanger, she received several first prizes in music theory and composition at the “Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris” (CNSMDP).

She was a resident fellow at Casa de Velázquez from 1988 to 1990, earned a doctorate in Musicology, and was appointed “Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters” in recognition of her contribution to French musical and cultural life. Throughout her career, she has combined composition with a deep commitment to pedagogy, specializing in vocal repertoire, chamber music, interpretation, and the transmission of musical knowledge through conservatory teaching, masterclasses, juries, and international academic collaborations. Since 2016, she has taught Educational Sciences within the master’s Program in Pedagogy at the CNSMDP and following her retirement from the City of Paris in 2025, she continues to contribute actively to the training of future musicians and educators, reflecting a career dedicated equally to artistic excellence and the advancement of music education.