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LE TEMPS
"Sous les doigts, l'incendie">>
LANGNAU JAZZ NIGHTS
Schweizer Künstler vielseitig
Ein grosses Anliegen ist es Walter Schmocker auch Schweizer Künstlern eine Auftrittsmöglichkeit zu geben. Am Abend des 23. Juli durfte das Publikum dem jugendlichen und mit Freude musizierenden Marc-Perre- noud-Trio aus Lausanne lauschen. Den Abend eröffneten Marc Perrenoud (p), Marco Müller (b) und Cyril Regamey (dr) mit der sehr stimmigen Eigenkomposition «MIB». Bereits hier zeigten sich die Qualitäten des Trios: Gute Führung im Piano, der Bass als solide Basis und ein Schlagzeuger, der präsent und technisch versiert ist, ohne negativ aufzufallen. Der Abend gestaltete sich als interessante Mischung von Eigenkompositionen und Standards. Mit dem Lied «You and the Night and the Music» gelang den drei Schweizern nach dem einstündigen Konzert ein hervorragender Abschluss.
Guido Kunz
CULTURE JAZZ
Marc Perrenoud Trio au Château de Clermont en Genevois
Le festival de Jazz du Chateau de Clermont en Genevois fétait cette année ses dix ans. Sur trois, jours, dans un cadre renaissance enchanteur, il a proposé une programmation étonnamment riche (...) Nous qui découvrions ce festival n'avons pu assisté qu'au concert du trio de Marc Perrenoud (on se rachètera l'année prochaine). Nous ne fûmes pas décus, bien au contraire, par ces trois suisses au brillant catalogue... Plus sérieusement, Marc Perrenoud, Marco muller et Cyril Regamey, ont fait montre du talent que nous leur connaissions déjà et qui s'affirme au fil du temps. L'aisance et la maturité qui se dégagèrent hier soir de ce trio fut rien moins qu'impressionnante, son énergie à la hauteur de composiitions sensibles et des reprises savamment réarrangées qu'ils donnèrent à entendre à un public judicieusement participatif.Ne manquez pas la onzième édition. Nous, nous y serons.
Yves Dorison
MARC PERRENOUD TRIO
L'on ne voit d'abord, au piano, que son dos, massif, puissant, souple, à l'origine de tout mouvement - ce n'est pas pour rien que l'on parle d'un principe organisateur comme d'une colonne vertébrale - tandis que la tête est étonnamment rejetée en arrière, roulant sur les épaules avec jubilation. Ici, rien ne suggère le moindre effort, rien n'évoque la plus petite tension. Encore moins n'existe-t-il une volonté quelconque de passer en force ou d'imposer. Seuls le jeu, l'espièglerie, l'amusement étonné de découvrir la musique qui se déroule quasi incidemment alentour, animent ce rachis de géant. Très différents sont les autres rouages de ce beau triangle de trio. Le batteur est à la fois construit et mû par une hallucinante série de ressorts de haute technologie, fondus dans un alliage des meilleurs titanes, cobaltés en électrolyse par une armée d'artisans, de maîtres de forge, et de chimistes experts, eux-mêmes épaulés et sagement conseillés par les meilleurs tambourineurs que nos différents cultures musicales ont produits. Cet assemblage, relié par des circuits électriques à haute conductivité, donne un musicien dont la rapidité, la technique et la réactivité épatent les sens les plus aiguisés. Entre les polarités inverses du piano et de la batterie, la contrebasse. Telle le fil incandescent de la bonne vieille ampoule à filaments, que ce cher Joseph Swan n'imaginait pas si vite reléguée aux placards, nous trouvons son tungstène lumineux. Graves, profondes, présentes, ces cordes vibrent à leurs propres fréquences, apaisent de leur épaisseur savoureuse une surbrillance loisible. Ce sain phénomène ne va pas sans un douloureux impôt à payer, ces doigts de chairs et de sang vaporisant, dans les tempi extrêmes, un peu de leur humaine matière par une sublimation palpable. L'on oubliera pas un public atypique et dionysiaque, conquis dès les premiers tours de carrousel de cette belle fête foraine, où les montagnes russes épouvantent, où le théâtre hypnotise, et où les chevaux de bois appellent aux rêves.
Yves Massy
JAZZ RHONE ALPES
Marc Perrenoud Trio au Château de Clermont en Genevois
C'est un président heureux qui s'est présenté une dernière fois cette saison. Jean-François Gojon, qui préside le Jazz-Club d'Annecy est fier de constater le succès du 10ème festival. Les trois soirs affichèrent quasi complet et ce soir ne déroge pas à la règle. En première partie, le trio du jeune pianiste suisse Marc Perrenoud avait été invité. Avec la lourde tâche de préparer le terrain à Jean-Jacques Milteau et son projet désormais bien rodé "Soul conversation".
Le trio se met en place et au top départ les fauves sont lâchés. Pas un instant de chauffe. Marc Perrenoud attaque à fond avec trois de ses compositions. Ça va vite, les notes volent. On est surpris par la sureté et l'élégance du pianiste et de l'ensemble. Cyril Regamey besogne avec énergie sa batterie sans tomber dans un boum-boum primaire. Marco Muller tire sur ses cordes comme un beau diable. On se calme un peu et on entame un "Solar" revisté par Marc Perrenoud. Difficile de reconnaitre le thème de Miles et puis tout s'éclaire. Quelle recherche dans l'arrangement ! Ces trois là nous font forte impressions dès les premières mesures et ça ne se relâchera pas durant tout le set.
Nous vous conseillons vivement d'aller faire un tour chez votre disquaire préféré pour faire l'acquisition (si ce n'est déjà fait) du dernier album "Logo" de Marc Perrenoud. Ce bleu bordé de vert ("Blue in green" in english), ce morceau nommé "Solar". Ça ne vous rappelle rien ? L'artiste fait allégeance à Miles Davis, un de plus ! Mais ca vaut le coup.
Pascal Derathé
EL OBSERVATOR (MONTEVIDEO)
LA NACION (ARGENTINA)
REVUE 23 BUENOS AIRES
CITIZEN JAZZ
Marc Perrenoud, à la tête d’un jeune trio, trace des sentiers prometteurs pour le jazz pianistique européen. Après des débuts remarqués avec Sylvain Ghio en duo, Logo est son premier disque en trio. Sobre et classique, en leader il ne manque pas d’élégance et combine discrétion du jeu, complexité harmonique et lyrisme en retenue à la manière de Marc Copland, sans doute un de ses maitres. On sera ainsi emballé par l’écoute de « Logoglace », où le jeu collectif s’amenuise jusqu’à ne conserver que quelques schémas minimaux du piano romantique et impressionniste, échos lointains des leçons de Bill Evans, tandis que la section rythmique plane au-dessus du thème, en suspension.
Logo se partage entre standards interprétés avec science et morceaux originaux. Évidemment, devant « Blue in Green » et « Solar », excellent diptyque davisien, certaines compositions peuvent sembler en retrait : ainsi de « MIB » et son post-bop élégant, ou l’orientalisant « Emira ». Le trio n’est jamais meilleur que lorsqu’il s’empare d’un matériau bien connu pour en proposer une interprétation - ou plutôt une écoute signée, voire engagée : une manière de jouer ces standards suffisamment personnelle pour en redéfinir l’identité, en sélectionner certains éléments et en retrancher d’autres. Ainsi de « Alone Together », qui met en tension la mélancolie de l’original par une approche tout à fait convaincante.
Avec une régularité réjouissante, Cyril Regamey (batteur) et Marco Müller (contrebassiste) s’illustrent comme des sidemen de qualité. Toujours présent pour épauler ses partenaires, le batteur déploie un jeu subtil et nuancé, tandis que le contrebassiste opte pour des progressions harmoniques complexes dont le piano tire ensuite parti pour développer thèmes et chorus raffinés. Reste à souhaiter que ces jeunes musiciens gravissent rapidement les échelons de cet art difficile entre tous qu’est le trio. Ils en ont les moyens.
Mathias Kusnierz
PIANO NEWS
LE TEMPS
JAZZTHINGS
Reinhard Köchl, 11.08.08 ( Köln, Germany )>>
TRIBUNE DE GENEVE
Une pochette bleue encadrée de vert, littéralement Blue in Green, comme si l'horizon infini du ciel et de la mer se contractait dans un écrin de verdure. Logo est un disque de fin d'été, de flânerie au crépuscule dans la caresse des derniers rayons de soleil avant l'automne. Il y a quelque chose d'extraordinairement sensuel mais aussi d'organique dans le premier album du trio formé par le pianiste genevois Marc Perrenoud avec Marco Müller (contrebasse) et Cyril Regamey (batterie). Un mélange d'intensité, d'urgence et de volupté qu'on trouve parfois au concert, rarement au disque. Contagieuse, l'énergie générée par les trois complices ne lâche plus l'auditeur pendant 52 minutes, sur cinq compositions originales du pianiste et quatre standards, des lignes souples de Mib jusqu'à You and the Night and the Music, interprété avec une nonchalance distinguée digne du vieux maître cubain Rubén González. Le trio trouve aussi le temps de réinventer/s'approprier/transfigurer deux standards de Miles Davis, Blue in Green et Solar. Prenant ce dernier titre à la lettre, Marc Perrenoud va jusqu'au bout de sa relecture fulgurante, dans une envolée modale extatique et hallucinée qui se hisse, à sa manière joyeusement turbulente, aux côtés des versions historiques de Bill Evans ou Keith Jarrett. Un disque qui brûle les doigts.
Lucas Sabatini
JAZZ'N'MORE
BAK JAZZEIT
HALLER TAGBLATT
Bettina Lober(Stuttgart, Deutchland)>>
JAZZ LAKE
Der gehaltvolle Virtuose Marc Perrenoud hat mit seinem Trio ein musikalisches Feuerwerk gezündet, dessen Nachhall rege Resonanz in der hiesigen Jazz-Szene entfacht hat. Ausgestattet mit renommierten Auszeichungen und internationaler Konzerterfahrung bringt der junge Genfer Pianist die Entwicklung des Jazzpianos souverän auf den Punkt. Mit seinem samtweichen Anschlag, seinem Ideenreichtum und seiner stilistische Kontinuität überzeugt Marc Perrenoud auch Skeptiker, die die Tradition des Pianotrios längst tot geglaubt hatten. Begleitet von zwei vielseitigen Partnern klingt Perrenouds Band wie die Weiterentwicklung einer Best-Of-Compilation aus sechs Jahrzehnten Pianotrio-Tradition.
Jazz lake, Zürich, Suisse
CULTURE JAZZ
Marc Perrenoud trio : la modernité dépassée... Le trio piano, basse, batterie du vingt-et-unième siècle est-il un classique post-moderne ? Classique comme la formule du trio, maintes fois immortalisée depuis un bon demi-siècle, post-moderne pour l'expression musicale ? Marc Perrenoud, Cyril Regamey et Marco Muller, sont un bon exemple de cette modernité dépassée. Complexité harmonique, subtilité, finesse d'écriture, tout y est. L'énergie déployée est quelquefois...badplusante, ESTique. Les plages lentes sont selon nous plus convaincantes. Là, le trio s'aère, s'élève et nous touche (Mir, Blue in green, par exemple). Mais peut-être est-on naturellement plus lyrique... et irritable quand la cadence s'accélère (l'âge ? ).
Ces trois musiciens constituent un trio sans faille et démontrent à l'envi leur excellence, nous en convenons bien volontiers. Mais on est, quelquefois, légèrement gêné par la couleur binaire de la batterie qui alourdit la trame d'une musique qui ne demande qu'à s'émanciper dans la fréquentation de détails imprévisibles, dans des lointains sans apprêts où l'art de la suggestion est un authentique écho, un soupir d'aise pour l'auditeur étonné.
Quant à la quadrature du trio et sa résolution, il est indubitable que Marc Perrenoud et ses complices ajoutent une pierre à l'édifice ; "Logo" est un très bon album et l'on est curieux des projets musicaux de ce trio helvétique auquel nous nous permettons de soumettre les mots du poète, suisse lui-aussi, Philippe Jaccottet : "Il se peut que la beauté naisse quand la limite et l'illimité deviennent visibles en même temps, c'est-à-dire quand on voit des formes tout en devinant qu'elles ne disent pas tout, qu'elles ne sont pas réduites à elles-mêmes, qu'elles laissent à l'insaisissable sa part.
Yves Dorison( LYON )
DRS
Der Westschweizer Shooting-Star ist natürlich Colin Vallon, eine Generationen vor ihm war es Thierry Lang, im elektronischeren Bereich ist es Leo Tardin: Aus der Westschweiz tauchen mit einer solchen Regelmässigkeit hervorragende Pianisten auf, dass das Logo «Pianist aus der Westschweiz» fast zu einem Gütesiegel geworden ist. Und in diese illustre Reihe gesellt sich jetzt ein neuer Name: Marc Perrenoud, mit seiner zweiten eigene CD.
Beat Blaser, Basel DRS (Suisse)
FNAC
Après de solides études menées aux conservatoires de Lausanne puis Genève, Marc Perrenoud devient le jeune pianiste de Jazz le plus prometteur de sa génération. Après Stream Out , voici son tout nouvel album : Logo. Une vraie réussite. Improvisateur-né, Marc Perrenoud y revisite 2 titres de Miles Davis ( Blue In Green, Solar...) et livre ,entre autre, 5 nouvelles compositions. D'emblée, son piano nous propulse dans un monde d'harmonie et de mystère. Perfection des rythmes, totale fusion musicale entre les musiciens ( Cyril Regamey : drums et Marco Müller : basse), ce jazz frais et sensible nous comble.
Tarik Tamzali, responsable Jazz, Fnac Suisse
L'HEBDO
Avec ce nouvel Album, la formation genevoise emmenée par le pianiste Marc Perrenoud fait preuve d'un jeu virtuose et aérien. Oscillant entre compositions originales et reprises de standards ( dont Blue in Green et Solar de Miles Davis) ces onze titres distillent un jazz intense et accueillant.
Christophe Schenk, L'hebdo ( janvier 09 )
ONE MORE TIME
« vous n'écoutez pas un trio « de plus » comme il y en a des milliers d'autres mais bel et bien un de ceux qui a quelque chose d'original et de particulier à nous faire écouter... Un des meilleurs trios actuels que j'ai entendu depuis fort longtemps ! A acquérir sans plus attendre »
Jean Michel Ressier
LE COURRIER
Michel Perritaz, Le Courrier, Genève, Suisse>>
KONTZERT IN MORAT
CONCERT AT THE FLUX LABORATORY
Marc Perrenoud Trio? They were good a year ago, they've justimproved further! **** Cyril Regamey, the drummer remains a rhythm Stradivarius who plays with such an ease that everything sounds evident, easy, smooth. He switches from impossible 7 against 5 to 3 against 4 rhythms water flows down the river. His apparently simple but just well balanced beats just set every cell of your body to the same tempo. A pure pleasure, always. I've seen him playing jazz, pop, Reggae, experimental, electro, boogie, classical, he's always amazing. Keep an eye on this guy.
The pianist, leader and composer, Marc Perrenoud, has done a greatjob on fine tuning the arrangements since last year. His fingers are very volatile: fast as a bird often, light as a feather when from time to time, but firm, powerful delicate as a tiger prawns. And the piano was obviously better than the AMR one and allowed him to express his subtle touch far better.The double bass player, Marco Müller, is the one who changed his play most since last concert. I had mentioned experimental way of playing last time. All that has disappeared everything is now smooth and follows a clean track. Is that really good? I'm not so sure.
Actually, he's maybe just the visible part of the iceberg. The whole trio has clearly moved from a more improvised music to a more
written one. The good point is that the general result is far "better", in terms of synchronization spheres, endings, solos. It almost sounds like a movie soundtrack this is, also, a danger I hope they will avoid in the future. Their playing is becoming so good that it might feel too "polished", not to say commercial ad, if they went further in that direction. I hope they'll find and keep a good balance between the sound quality and the lifeless delivery. The third tune was a perfect example for me of that balance. I could hear that the music was delivering a message. Clear, coherent, smooth, but at the same time very much alive and full of emotions.
In any case, I am looking forward to buy their forecasted don as they release it. And if you like good jazz, you should stay tuned with that band. I'd bet more than a quarter that we'll see them some time programmed at the Stravinsky. I don't think I'm lying if I say that all the attendants loved the concert. Thank you to them for trusting my taste and joining me. Good music is even better music when shared with fine people.
Last but not least, the place, Fluxlaboratory, is just gorgeous. Design, original, modern, minimalistic, but confortable at the same time. Afirst time for me there, but surely not the last.
ARGENTINA TOUR 07
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ASSOCIATION OF JAZZ JOURNALIST
Today, I have the pleasure to show you the most important discover of the year for me(...) Marc Perrenoud. This pianist is crazy, he swings. Gosh, he is from Geneva like a lot of talented pianists who are from there(...)
DER BUND
A playing list of standards and original compositions interpreted with a nearly brashful intensity. An interesting way of treating harmony aswell as impressive piano skills allow this young pianist to win the prize of best soloist at the International Festival of Bern 2006.
| MARC PERRENOUD SYLVAIN GHIO DUO |
Any two guys can make a hell of a lot of noise in this world; ask Romulus and Remus, or Watson and Crick, or Jordan and Pippen. Swiss pianist Marc Perrenoud and French drummer Sylvain Ghio, both in their mid-20s, got together in Geneva this June and did exactly that. Fortunately, they remembered to bring the beauty and the wonder too, as well as a good bit of envelope-pushing swing. It might not be as "out" as they think it is, but it's certainly hanging around my list of best jazz discs of the year.
This is Perrenoud's first jazz disc, as he is mostly a classical musician; I'm guessing that's where the "stream," as in Third Stream, comes in. He certainly loves the lyrical Windhamesque noodling, especially on his little amuse bouche pieces like "Interlude 3" and "Interlude 7." And tracks like "Vis Island" and "L'escalier" are clearly Compositions With A Capital C, as they develop themes and counterpoints and all that stuff, although the former song is more successful (because more aggressive and interesting) than the soft sweet latter. Perrenoud is always masterful, but he seems to just be getting his feet wet in jazz.
That's why it's good that he has a roughneck partner in Ghio. His drumming is at its best when he's not too worried about conforming to any kind of plan. Check, for instance, his semi-free intro to their version of Horace Silver's "Peace" (is it just me, or did everyone and their dog cover this in the last year or so?), all rolling toms and cymbal flourishes--he tones it down somewhat so Perrenoud can come in with the piano theme, then subtly disrupts that theme over the next three minutes in a wonderful way. And on the opener, Kenny Barron's "Voyage," his shuffling rhythm goads Perrenoud into a wonderful display of pounding pointillist improvisation, which is much more interesting than when he gets all cutesy.
Mostly, this is just two young guys having fun. It's excellent to hear them covering Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence," turning it into a nine-minute suite that goes through all possible variations of the song; it's also kind of fun when they turn the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "My Friends" into a gentle fragile ballad.
But it's a lot more fun when they're both just going kind of mad. Hopefully this isn't the last time they work together, or the last time Perrenoud works in jazz, or the last time I hear Depeche Mode covered like this. Kudos for now, but I think these two players have a lot better work in front of them.
Matt Cibula, Boston
JAZZMAN
(12.06)
Marc Perrenoud (p), Sylvain Ghio (dm).
*** A suivre
For his first record, the young Swiss pianist covered in prices and rewards took the risk of forming a duo with a drum player. No mistakes in the choice of his repertoire, picking with intelligence from sources as diverse as unexpected, such as Randy Brecker, Horace Silver, Ralph Towner or even the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Enjoy the Silence of Depeche Mode, bears witness to the fashionable sound of the 80s that has reemerged just recently but the remodeling applied to it with a long counterpoint in a perpetuum mobile that runs beneath the melody, is rather keeping in the line of a Brad Mehldau benefiting from Radio Head. The beautiful Talk to the Tress of Randy Brecker puts in display considerable pianistic means but L’Escalier reveals a particularly subtle compositor that makes lyricism a priority undaunted by the complexity of harmony, just like a Marc Copland, Marc Perrenoud does not possess the maturity or the originality of the great pianists mentioned previously but make sure you keep an eye out for him!
Nicolas Brémaud, Paris, FRANCE
SWISSDISC
Jazz with classical music origins
Associated with the Parisian drummer Sylvain Ghio, the pianist from Geneva, Marc Perrenoud, releases his very first jazz album. Named “Stream Out”, the latter mixes jazzy improvisations to parts strongly impregnated by classical music. One of the best examples is “Interlude 7”, an exquisite piano solo composed by Marc Perrenoud himself. Contemporary European Jazz shares a greater bond with classical music culture and thereby, it has become very different to American Jazz, as the pianist comments himself. However apart from this influence, the disc also proposes renewed versions of well-known pieces from pop music. At times these pieces may seem totally transformed by the jazz, so much so that these become unrecognizable. These include “My friends” from the Red Hot Chili Peppers as well as “Enjoy the silence” from Depeche Mode, one of the specials in this album. Globally the album seems brilliantly managed. Overall it is very well accomplished except for a few parts that are less structured and drag in time a little.
Helene Koch
Lucas Sabbatini
VIVA LA MUSICA
Marc Perrenoud and Sylvain Ghio Duo, “Stream Out”
Marc Perrenoud and Sylvain Ghio have been interacting for many years, working on the smallest orchestral formula. In that way, they avoid to accompany one another preferring to play in turn to reengage/stimulate their musical dialogue. The album contains chosen Jazz pieces, Marc Perrenoud’s own compositions, as well as unrestrained interpretations of contemporary pop music pieces. The associates show in that way that everything may be susceptible to improvisation when you share common vision and style.
Christian Seulet
L'IMPARTIAL (11.09.2006)
Jazz lightened up
To kick off their new concert season, Friday in the cellar du Petit Paris at La Chaux-de-Fonds, the Walls of sound have made a sensational start in holding the new project of the French guitarist Marc Ducruet, "un sang d'encre" (ink-like blood).
As an accompanying first part, the pianist Marc Perrenoud and the drummer Sylvain Ghio presented a repertoire that contained mostly standards, reshaped to such an extent that they became unrecognisable (brilliant « All the Things you Are»). The pianist goes through his complex harmonies to which his accomplice adds a subtle and rhythmical counterpoint. (...), an excellent display played with great finesse.
Nicolas Heiniger
TRIBUNE DE GENEVE
23 JUNE 2006.
MARC PERRENOUD,
Piano beyond all costs
The jazzman from Geneva has just recorded his first CD
At high school, he was regarded as talented in the subject of themes. As jazz is concerned, he carries the aura of a contest winner. At 25 years of age, Marc Perrenoud has just collected his fifth distinction. In late April, he became the first "Romand" to win the prestigious Henniez prize which rewards the best young soloist of Bern's International Festival. Previously, he had already been crowned in the skill of improvisation at the Conservatoire of Geneva, at the "Open Show" aswell as receiving the Montreux Jazz Chrysler Award. Yet still another reward, he has benefited from the Zurich Friedlwald grant that supports uprising Swiss artists.
In terms of training, Marc Perrenoud started learning the piano at 6 years of age. His childhood was bathed in music. His father plays the oboe in the Swiss Romand Orchestra, his mother plays the traverse flute and teaches at the Conservatoire...
From a quartet to a duo
In this rising career, his path appeared to be set like musical paper. Up to 20 years of age, Marc Perrenoud studies classic pieces whilst concomitantly progressing in jazz. He also passes his artistic "maturité" exams at the Saussure High School. Later on, he receives a diploma from the School of contemporary Jazz in Lausanne (Ecole de jazz de musique actuelle, EJMA). He is now ready to become a professional musician. In 2003, he was clearly on the way when leading a jazz quartet named Quartz. He continued by forming a three-man band and then a duo, just like the one he is currently a part of with the Parisian drummer Sylvain Ghio. It is with this partner that he has recently produced his first CD. Recorded in Thierry Lang's studios, the CD contains ten titles and will be sold in September under the Swiss recording company called Altrisuoni.
"We really benefited from ideal conditions. It is the outcome of one year of work. I had at my disposal the region's best piano... in other terms, just a dream." As he emphasizes, everything is working out really well these days for Marc. He doesn't deny having been influenced by huge artists (Keith Jarret, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, Gonzalo Rubalcaba), however he aims to explore a path that is more innovative. "Like Bill Carrothers, I am working on a more hard lined harmony. More dependent on classical culture, the esthetic of European contemporary jazz has become very different compared to the American. (...)
Energy to transmit
Quite rightly so, Marc believes that a duo offers more liberty. It authorizes remodeling of the structure of music and allows to endow music with a more personal touch. Can one get by today playing jazz music? "Yes my financial situation is beginning to get better. I also teach the piano at the Flux Laboratory in Carouge for 6 hours every week. Nothing is never carved in stone though. The numbers of concerts vary considerably from month to month. (...) He gives us an appointment this autumn, a tour of Switzerland is foreseen playing as the first part of the guitarist Marc Ducret.
Michel Imhof
DAILY NEWS - EGYPT
The sights, sounds and styles of Piano Seven
T he tales of this world have already been written … and have to be written over and over again. Not because we need new tales. They have to be written so that the tradition of telling tales, of writing tales does not die out.” – Peter Bichsel (Swiss writer)
These words that capture the Swiss tradition of storytelling marked the inauguration of Swiss Tales 2008, a cultural gift to the Cairo Opera House on its 20th birthday. The cultural and artistic exchange program will bring six varied performances and concerts by Swiss artists throughout the year to the stages of the Cairo and Alexandria Opera House.
On Sunday night, First Lady Suzanne Mubarak, the President of the Swiss Confederation Pascal Couchepin and Culture Minister Farouk Hosni rang in the year-long jubilee with a bang. To kick off the celebrations, audiences were treated to a feast of sights and sounds, of styles and skills from famous classical musical group Piano Seven.
At the main hall of the Cairo Opera House, Hosni opened the night with a word on the role of the arts in building a bridge between different cultures and the history of the opera house in enriching our lives through concerts, ballets, art shows and performances from around the world. With that he welcomed Couchepin to the stage, where he congratulated Egypt on this cultural milestone in its history. “Egypt’s geographic location makes it a cultural gateway to the Middle East and Africa,” he said, adding that activities planned for Swiss Tales 2008 are meant to foster cultural exchange between musicians, dancers and artists of both countries. The stage was set up with seven pianos facing the center of the stage where the percussion section was set up. The performers made their way onto the stage: the seven current pianists — Francois Lindemann, Olivier Rogg, Marc Perrenoud, Valentin Peiry, Fabrizio Chiovetta, Michel Bastet and Pierre-Luc Vallet — accompanied by violinist Stephanie Decaillet and percussionist Nicolas Levon.
Piano Seven started out in 1987 as a one-off experiment, the brainchild of Lindemann and Sebastian Santa Maria. The first performance bringing the sounds and skills of seven pianists on one stage was an instant hit, and a second run was in high demand. Since then, the Swiss-based ensemble has played around 150 concerts in Switzerland, France, Belgium, Lebanon, Egypt, Brazil, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and China.Their first performance in Egypt took place on the very same stage exactly 10 years ago, and while some of the musicians are new to the group, the quality and diversity of the music presented has not faltered.To keep the music fresh, every three years the group invites two other musicians to merge their instruments and style with seven pianists. According to the group, the subject of the current show is musically Latin — in the wide sense of the term — “a crossover of 20th century European piano music and elements of popular music, namely jazz and tango.” They opened with “L’Ecrin,” what can best be described as an experimental number. Instead of starting the concert by hammering away at their keyboards, each pianist wrapped a lock of horsehair around their piano strings, and moved it up and down to produce the sounds of a string instrument.
It almost seemed like the musicians were tuning their instruments — pianos and violin — as opposed to playing their opening piece. Although it did sound a bit scratchy, it was definitely a creative presentation. My favorite piece of the night was the third composition “Tango Negro,” and as its name suggests, the music was inspired by the fiery, romantic South American dance. Listening to the symphony evoked images of a courtship, starting off slow and a bit hesitant and then gradually gaining speed and confidence. The push and pull between the pianos and the violin resembled the movements of the dance itself. At times there was a power struggle between the instruments, as one sound attempted to overtake the other. Then there was a more relaxed harmony, much like two lovers falling gracefully into a comfortable romance, before turning again into a heated display of emotions and sounds. What helped make the musical composition accessible to the audience was the accompaniment of the visual images created by video artists Daniel Wyss and Bastien Genoux. Behind the musicians was a screen projecting these images, a collage of videotaped footage and shots of the live performance. They are interpretations of Piano Seven’s pieces by the visual artists.
The footage seemed distracting at first, but only until you learn to focus on both the sounds and the images at the same time do you get the full effect of each masterpiece. Another highlight was a song that was like a musical interpretation of the movement of air. At first it was more like a breeze, then spurred by the tunes of the musicians, it picked up speed and strength, turning into to a gusty wind. It then slowed down to a quieter, lighter breeze. One song sounded like the movements of water, traveling down a stream with the ebb and flow of the water crashing softly into rocks and stones before settling down into a quiet lake. The performance stopped after this song to give Lindemann a chance to introduce each musician. The piece that followed was eerie and intimate at the same time. The video projected gave us a more personal look at the musicians, with close-ups of their faces looking straight at the camera. At first, their expressions were serious, but they grew more relaxed to the tunes of the music. Like the song itself, the images — shot in black and white — seemed elegant and nostalgic.
Overall, the show was not what I expected — it was much more entertaining. The performers left their coattails at home, and were not tied down to their pianos. For one, the violinist roamed the stage through the entire show, interacting with each pianist depending on which musician was taking the lead. The rest moved around, switching pianos after and sometimes during the piece to bring the dominant keystrokes to the forefront — to pianos one and seven. Fabrizio Chiovetta often moved to the stage front, leaving the keys of his piano to try his skillful hands at the accordion. Percussionist Levon stole the show. During one song, he improvised a scat, and later told me he was impersonating President Couchepin. The scat also sees him impersonating different languages, including Latin, Arabic and an African dialect. At that moment, he became a sort of performance artist before he performed a short song, and wowed the audience with his beautiful voice.
Of his role in Piano Seven, he told Daily News Egypt, “It’s hard for the pianists to hear each other because of the distance from one piano to the other. It sounds coherent for the audience, but the sounds of the different pianos can be distracting for the musicians. The percussions are the core of the performance, keeping everyone on beat…if they lose their way, I’m here to tell them where the beat is.”
To an inexperienced ear, some of their pieces seem really long. But while they only took around five breaks to give the audience a chance to show their appreciation by clapping, they actually performed around 12 different pieces.
The reason for that, Levon said, is because “it’s not good to stop after every piece and wait for the audience to clap. You lose the momentum, the energy you’ve built up along the way. It’s better to keep moving with very subtle changes in tempo and rhythm; and flow smoothly from one to the other.”
Telling Daily News Egypt more about the video art used in the show, Wyss said that “the images are inspired by the same things that inspire the music: the group’s journey and travels around the world.”
One peice was accompanied by footage from Egypt shot just two days before the concert, according to Wyss. The images accompanying the lively, boisterous music capture the beauty that is Cairo traffic.
It was their way, he says, of showing Cairenes the city they live in from their perspective. For once, the movement of Cairo seemed like a synchronized ballet with people getting in and out of cabs, walking down the street balancing baskets on their heads, the stop and go of traffic flowing to the orchestrated sounds of Piano Seven.
“We added the Cairo footage to some that was taken in the streets of Hong Kong and we’ll keep adding on to images from each new place we go, a sort of documentary.”
In one scene members of Piano Seven are shown playing as they ride the bus in a bustling city much like Cairo, taking their music with them on their journey — or is it their journey that makes the music? Either way, I’m glad they stopped in Cairo along the way.
Amira Salah-Ahmed
