A Conversation with Andre Jolivet

Extract

In the drawing room there is the scent of hyacinth. Japanese lamps brought back from a distant journey alternate with subdued lighting from lace-covered lampshades in a characteristically French style. There is a grand piano, a leafy tapestry, like a wood at twilight, and on the walls a picture in red and black by Roger Bezombes inspired by the ballet Cinéma. A bust of Jolivet by Joseph Rivière stands on the mantelpiece. Both east and west have made their mark on this friendly apartment. Even before Jolivet took me into his study I felt the presence here of the African sun, and the memory of ritual songs. I knew that this great composer preferred lyricism to all other things.