FEATURES OF THE COMMUNICATIVE INTERACTION COMPOSER – CONDUCTOR – PERFORMER AS EXEMPLIFIED BY THE ARTISTIC PRACTICE OF JEAN-DENIS MICHAT

Abstract

The present study examines the communicative dimensions of the artistic activity of the contemporary French saxophonist Jean-Denis Michat. The musician is a highly accomplished performer on various members of the saxophone family who, in his compositional practice, actively integrates established academic traditions of earlier stylistic epochs with elements derived from jazz and popular culture. Such an approach not only reveals the extensive expressive and technical potential of the saxophone family – including the use of unconventional playing techniques – but also contributes to the enrichment of the original repertoire written for these instruments. Continuing the traditions of collective music-making associated with saxophone ensembles, J.-D. Michat also appears in the role of conductor, directing a large saxophone ensemble and shaping its artistic profile. In addition to expanding the ensemble’s repertoire through arrangements of works that have acquired the status of canonical compositions, the musician – drawing upon his own performing experience and detailed knowledge of the technical and timbral possibilities of each member of the saxophone family – creates original compositions specifically conceived for this instrumental formation. From this perspective, the article investigates J.-D. Michat’s artistic practice in terms of communicative interaction, encompassing the interrelated functions of Composer – Conductor – Performer, whose mutual interrelation forms a unified artistic and interpretative process.