en un mot...

REVIEW FROM Minor 7th

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:39:49 +0100

AMAZING REVIEW FROM "Minor 7th"
http://minor7th.com/

Benoît Albert, "Paysage Hypothétique," 2011

One of the beauties of music is that it is ever-evolving. The lay public's perception of the classical guitar genre is that it is static, the repertoire carved in stone long ago. Segovia, Bream and Williams in the 1960s and1970s somewhat perpetuated this myth, but a new rank of upstarts in the 1980s and 1990s -- including Dyens, Towner and Bogdanovich -- thankfully upset that old order. They incorporated jazz and world elements into technically challenging compositions, the like of which were usually associated with the classical masters. Continuing that trend of innovation into the new millennium is Benoît Albert, a contemporary French guitarist and composer. In addition to classical and jazz influences, his compositions are enriched by weaving modal Eastern European and South American tango flavors into his intricate harmonic textures. The compositions on his CD "Paysage Hypothétique" are arranged into four Suites: Les Dérangements, Suite #1- Fingerstyle, Les Anecdotiques and Suite #2- Siegfried. Les Dérangements is aptly named, the first movement ultimately so... John Lennon's "Imagine" is nicely deranged into a tango so twisted that Lennon's original motif seems but a nuanced vestige. The Suite "Fingerstyle" is dedicated to French fingerstylist Christian Laborde, the most accessible music from this CD for a mainstream audience. "Finger Estile" is my favorite in this Suite, a beautiful and pensive sound poem which emotes the essence of bittersweet. "Quiet" follows, a tribute to Pat Metheny's landmark "One Quiet Night," a recording which Albert says he would "happily take with me to the proverbial desert island." "Eastern Rush" closes the suite, a driving and rhythmic tour-de-force in the spirit of Balkan masters Goran Ivanovic and Miroslav Tadic. Les Anecdotiques are a suite of études which Albert composed for his students, and though written as a practice for technique on guitar, like Sor's Études are compositionally fascinating beyond the didactic intent. "Simple Élégie" opens with a summoning call of chimes and segues into a solemn anthem which flickers to and fro, seeking a resolution. The Methenyesque "Esquisse en 10/8" flirts with an unusual meter which darts about in pleasing fits and starts. The CD closes with the 6-movement Suite "Siegfried," commissioned by the Festival "Guitaromania" of Agen in 2008 in honor of the British painter Paul Storey. These compositions are often dramatic, dissonant and bereft of melody -- potentially an artistic kiss of death. As much as free-form pieces might be groundbreaking and herald how musical trends could unfold into the future, a receptive audience in the here and now is an esoteric one. But Albert's genius still shines brilliantly, having created a riveting mood of anticipation and suspense on this last Suite. Innovation, beauty and virtuosity... these are Benoît Albert's legacy to an evolving musical culture.
© Alan Fark

STAVANGER (Norway) guitar festival

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:55:23 +0100

Just back from the Stavanger guitar Festival - Amazing City with talented students and great teachers.

Thanks to Zafer !

FRANCE - Winter tour

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 12:53:47 +0100

We played in Narbonne, Bordeaux and Agen.

NEW AUDIO DEMO

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 12:52:23 +0100

Our new 2012 audio demo is ready. Listen to some excerpts on the left side of our home page !!!

MASSILLON Festival - STRING - OH

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:49:31 +0100

First edition of the String Festival in Massillon !!!
http://theanandacenter.org/string/

Live in Fort Wayne - Indiana

Fri, 4 Nov 2011 12:47:24 +0100

Concert in Fort Wayne invited by Jeff Rodgers at the University of St Francis

RING TRIPTYCH

Tue, 1 Nov 2011 10:12:33 +0100

Tale from the “Nibelungenlied” music, Benoît ALBERT – paintings, Paul STOREY

The circumstances surrounding this unique recording are a fascinating tale of friendship, creativity and collaboration.
At the time of their first meeting, during the Fall of 2006, British painter Paul Storey was working on a series of canvasses based on Richard Wagner’s opera: Der Ring des Nibelungen. Guitarist/composer Benoit Albert was visiting Storey’s country studio as his guitar instructor and was invited to view some of the work in progress. “He showed me these paintings and I was simply amazed by the power, beauty, and large scale of the work.”
Over time the painting collection continued to grow and as word spread of these remarkable creations Storey was asked to organize an exhibition of his work by the Cultural Center in Agen.
The exhibition to be staged in Notre Dame des Jacobins church. A landmark of Agen, built in 1249, Jacobins church is one of the few remaining examples of Dominican architecture in France.
Frequent visits between the two artists continued and this lead to an inspired creation. Albert recalls; “As Paul and I had become fast friends, spending endless hours discussing guitar music and painting, the inspiration to combine Paul’s work with my own became irresistible”. A plan to work together for the upcoming exhibit took shape and Storey created three specific paintings; Erda, Death of Siegfried and A brief moment of consciousness to be displayed during a live performance to commemorate the opening.
Insights – Ring Triptych

The recorded version of Ring Triptych presented here is structured in five parts. Erda, the opening segment is electronic, followed by three movements of Siegfried Suite, solo guitar. The central section In vacuo, is electronic, followed by the remaining three movements of Siegfried Suite. The final section A brief moment of consciousness is electronic.
Electronic sections of Ring Triptych, expansive and enigmatic, represent the overall mystery of the legend, while the more personal and tangible sounds of solo guitar depict the varied psychological states the hero Siegfried experiences through his telluric journey. Albert recalls beginning the work; “The challenge I faced was to create a large scale work for the opening that could express the subtle nature of Paul’s paintings through music. To do this I needed to make a clear contrast between the legend and the main character Siegfried. I chose two media; solo classical guitar for Siegfried, and electronic music for the mythical characters and events. It was never my intention to meld these two together, but to juxtapose them to express the differing psychological perspectives expressed in the paintings.”
The electronic music was conceived, elaborated on, and expanded throughout the compositional process. It combines sampling of both “real” and computer generated sounds. Albert remarked that; “The real sounds were processed from passages in the guitar suite, a Tibetan bowl, an aluminum wok cover, wedding rings, my own voice, and several other objects from my house and studio.”
The guitar section, the central structure of the work, is based on a suite of 6 movements, with each movement representing Siegfried’s states throughout the tale. The opening Prelude is Siegfried as a pilgrim, the Allemande is Siegfried as idyll, Courante is Hagen’s betrayal that leads to the murder of Siegfried, a mournful Sarabande is Siegfried’s funeral, Danses de l’étrange is a depiction the Norns while they rule on the fate of Siegfried’s afterlife, and the final Gigue is Siegfried’s deliverance in Valhalla.
Albert sums up Ring Triptych this way; “Musically I perceive this work as a large arc that converts space into time. The music’s duration follows the physical dimensions of the paintings as one views them. Through this viewing/listening one traverses the ascension from within the earth (represented by Erda) to heaven (represented by Wotan), by passing through its surface where humanity resides. Humanities travail personified by Siegfried’s experiences.”
The premiere of Ring Triptych took place in the side chapel of the church of the Jacobins on the 23rd of May 2008. The concert for the official opening involved a multi-media performance of the recorded electronic music, including contemporary dance by Laurène Albert during “in vacuo”, and a live performance of the guitar suite. On stage, facing the audience, were the three paintings.
Paysage Hypothétique
Siegfried Suite has been released as a stand alone work on Albert’s previous Clear Note recording Paysage Hypothétique.
The suite’s structure, a fusion of influences by British composers from the 20th century, French impressionists, and eastern popular music, follows a classic Baroque dance suite form and is well-suited for developing Siegfried’s scenario within the larger work, but it also makes an excellent addition to the eclectic style Albert displays on this earlier release.
Sheet music for Siegfried Suite is availble through Clear Note Publications.
Program Notes – Karl Wolff

Les frères méduses à st Pierre de rhedes

Thu, 4 Aug 2011 21:34:37 +0200

Invités par Yves et Joëlle, organisateurs des «Moments Musicaux» à St Pierre de Rhedes.

Les méduses a Montjoi

Thu, 4 Aug 2011 21:20:26 +0200

Invités par Arnaud et Jessica, nous avons joué dans la magnifique petite église de Montjoi pleine à craquer. Une très bonne ambiance avec un public venu des alentours. Une première pour le petit village et son comité des fêtes qui n’avaient pas eu de concert depuis bien longtemps.

un grand merci à Arnaud, Jessica et Line pour leur super accueil

Les méduses à Prayssas

Sun, 6 Feb 2011 16:52:42 +0100

Dernier concert de la tournée : Prayssas et ses Rencontres Insolites.
Salle comble et public très chaleureux.

mp3 dans le post

merci à la mairie de Prayssas