Flash version here.
November 2nd saw the release
of the second album by Trois-Rivičres duo Antoine Bareil, violin, and
Sébastien Lépine, cello. In Works for violin and cello based on
old folk melodies, available in January 2012 on the XXI-21 label,
the virtuosic duo take up the melodies that inspired the likes of Bartók,
Dvořák,
Smetana, and Stravinsky to introduce popular culture into classical
music.
Bareil and Lépine, crazy virtuosi
The most recognizable thing about the Bareil-Lépine duo is the
obvious pleasure they take in playing on stage. Their famous ‘Soaring
Strings’ concert impressed audiences in Quebec and Italy in 2008.
Perfectly in sync, yet still fresh and impulsive, they thrilled 120
different audiences, both amateur and seasoned. Their first album,
Works for violin & cello, was critically acclaimed, winning
them the Prix Opus for disc of the year.
The two performers established their
duo in 2006, brought together by a common outlook on music and performance,
and by a desire to stray from the beaten path. “It’s important for
us to find and adapt a repertoire that will take the public where it
wouldn’t otherwise go,” Antoine Bareil says. This public keeps coming
back for more of Bareil and Lépine’s brand of fun, as well as the
accompanying musical education. The non-conformist spirit of these “crazy
strings” is also seen in their direct contact with the audience.
A tribute to the 20th century
The rapport between the violin-cello duo is also tied to their mutual
affection for 20th century repertoire. This is an affection
born of necessity, relates Bareil: “We had to find compositions which
featured violin and cello equally. That took us away from Beethoven
and Mozart. The 20th century furnished the sound we were
looking for.” Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Cello, written in 1920
and dedicated to Debussy, was the duo’s first project.
Back to the people’s folk music
The idea for the second album took shape during Bareil and Lépine’s
latest Canadian tour. “Our concert, Soaring Strings, made us realize
that the public has a real feeling for folk melodies. Those songs clearly
draw on a deep, collective sense of belonging,” Bareil explains. This
path of exploration led the way toward new compositions. Their research
was successful, opening up varied musical horizons. At the head of the
album is Béla Bartók’s Hungarian Folk Melodies for Violin and
Cello. Bartók’s undertaking from 1905 to 1908 greatly inspired
the duo in their own research. “Bartók travelled throughout Hungary
to collect his country’s songs and melodies from the peasants. Oral
tradition played a major role in his compositions,” the duo explains.
The album circles around the works of Belgian Joseph Jongen (1873-1953),
Norwegian Johan Halvorsen (1864-1935), German Helmut Lipsky, and American
Mark O’Connor.
A musical journey through the folk
music of other times and places, Works for violin and cello based
on old folk melodies is a harmonious whole, as Antoine Bareil attests:
“Touches of the American and Irish musical heritage can be heard,
as well as influences from the waves of immigrants of the 20th
century.” Transposing traditional music from another century does
not seem to pose much of a challenge for the duo. Through their style
of playing and their approach to repertoire, the pair sees an easy way
to connect with music lovers of all ages. Music will always be “that
wonderful escape, that last refuge to stop everything, think things
over, and dream,” stated the violinist-composer. The album includes
one of his pieces, composed in 2009, Variations sur “Mon merle.”
Soaring Strings, which won the Louis-Philippe-Poisson
Performing Arts award, will continue into 2012. The crazy virtuosi will
then prepare themselves to tour their new album across Canada and eventually
Europe, bringing along their joyous and impulsive stage presence. The
pair have a few visual surprises up their sleeve, but nothing that will
compromise their treasured contact with their audience. The musicians
are looking forward to showing their skill on some extraordinary instruments:
an 1800 Vuillaume violin and a Stradivarius cello from 1699. Is there
a second Prix Opus (oh, how they wish!) in the duo’s future? As long
as music brings them joy, the duo will happily continue.
For the December/January Discovery
CD, La Scena Musicale and XXI-21 Productions present Antoine Bareil
and Sébastien Lépine playing works for violin and cello duo. The Discovery
CD is available free to our subscribers, or you can contact us directly
for individual purchase.
Translation: Karine Poznanski
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