Articles
2011 Artists' Picks
Spotlight 5
Albums
1982
Marvin Ayres
Big Quarters
Birds Of Passage
Brunborg / Huke
bvdub
Charlatan
City of Satellites
Cokiyu
CYNE
Dakota Suite / Sirjacq
Tomoyoshi Date
Dday One
Vladislav Delay
Ensemble Economique
Esperanza
Frost & Bjarnason
Integral
Lullatone
Mario & Vidis
Dean McPhee
Mint Julep
Muhr
James Murray
Muta
Nicholas: Nu Groove
pacificUV
Papir
Andrew Pekler
Pimmon
Simon Scott
Quentin Sirjacq
Stormloop
Swod
szilárd
Tapage
Carl Taylor
Willamette
Boo Williams
Reissue
Pink Floyd
Compilations / Mixes
Marcel Dettmann
Fabriksampler V4
Inertia: Resisting Routine
Tech My House 5
Visionquest
EPs
0311
A Sun-Amissa
Jacksonville
Arev Konn
Neon Cloud
Phasen
Photonz
Rivers Home
Quentin Sirjacq:
Le Chambre Claire
Schole
Schole Records further cements its reputation as a piano-centered label with Quentin Sirjacq's lovely addition to the label's discography. La Chambre Claire (A Bright Room) is an unashamedly romantic, hour-long collection of (essentially) solo piano settings by the Paris native, who's otherwise known for his collaborative work with Joëlle Léandre. While much of the album presents Sirjacq's exquisite playing alone, some of its twelve pieces (two of them bonus tracks) include contributions from Steve Argüelles (electronics), Serge Rogalski (guitar), Alexis Anérilles (vibraphone), Silvia Tarozzi (violin), and Deborah Walker (viola).
Sirjacq's album sets sail with the Debussy-esque reverie “Car je cherche le vide,” its wistful impressionistic flow subtly augmented by subliminal electronic touches by Argüelles. What follows varies in mood and style, though the pianist's refined playing is evident throughout and brings a reassuring cohesiveness to the recording. Some pieces resemble 19th-century parlour pieces of the kind one might hear at a Paris soirée whereas others suggest the influence of Michael Nyman, Philip Glass, and Steve Reich. While the rolling clusters in “Et le nu,” for example, suggest French Impressionism, the ten-minute setting's full arrangement of strings, piano, and vibraphone calls to mind the kind of arrangement Nyman might bring to his own ensemble. Explicit echoes of Glass's The Thin Blue Line soundtrack emerge in “Jaillissant de mon oeil” and, of course, Satie surfaces during the album as well. Both “Par milliers” and “Mais les ténèbres sont elles-mêmes,” for example, exude a melancholy melodic style and languor characteristic of Satie. That other composers and styles emerge in the recordings' settings doesn't, however, dampen the listener's overall impression of this fine album or its gifted composer-pianist.
January 2012