YS

Sunken cities go far beyond mere fantasy tales: they constitute one of the most powerful archetypes of the human psyche. From ancient mythology to modern psychoanalysis, the submerged city remains a universal symbol of the unconscious—a reservoir of buried memories, repressed traumas, and forgotten beauties.

While Atlantis remains the founding myth of this universal archetype, its Breton counterpart, the city of Ys, is no less fascinating. Less famous yet darker and more poetic, the legend of Ys embodies the tragic shift where love and desire sink beneath the weight of fate.

Between bitterness and innocence, tragedy and poetry, the work maintains a constant chiaroscuro. For beyond the drama of submersion lies the promise of resurgence: does the legend not say that one day, the city of Ys will rise from the waves, more resplendent than ever?

Version for three harps imagined by the composer.