Written for the timpanist Philippe Serra, this work is reminiscent of North American Indian tribal dances. The pulsation - relating to the earth and the landscape and, naturally, also to the circle (a symbol itself for the points of the compass and the cycle of life) - sets the character of the music, which exploits the sonic possibilities of the instrument as well as the evocative force of the pulsing beat itself on the timpani. Thierry Pécou