The idea of this piece started from an image, as suggested by its title Un Rayon Suspendu,

A Suspended Ray.
In June 2007, as I was walking through the vast and peaceful woods of the Haut-Languedoc in the south of France, I was transported by the vision of the sunbeams shinning through the branches. As they penetrate the darkness of the undergrowth, they hit elements usually invisible, hidden within the texture of the woods such as defoliated branches, spiderwebs, dust, humidity, etc... Basking under the twinkling lights, these hidden elements create a impression of still rays of light, suspended in the air.

Beyond this evocation, the piece is built around and evolves as a kaleidoscope: each element goes through little transformation but always presents itself in a different setting, gradually and yet persistently, revealing new structures and new reflections. My other attempt was to achieve an orchestral quality to the percussion ensemble’s sound, which led to my choice of writing for a large number of players (9).
Performance should convey a strong spiritual feeling in relationship with the theme of the piece. Performers are suggested to employ controlled gestures as they play, move around from instrument to instrument, switch mallets, etc, in order to evoke the performance of a ritual.