Edgar Moreau, Baptiste Trotignon, Sparklehorse, Fredy Massamba

• Edgar Moreau
  Weinberg & Dutilleux

It is difficult to find works that are more different than the two concertos combined on this CD. The mere fact that it was created by the Russian conductor Mstislav Rostropovich (1927–2007) justifies such a pairing. And that is not to say, because the personality of the legendary “Slava” was so rich that it could inspire composers with radically opposite forms of expression with the same joy. In his concerto, Mieczyslaw Weinberg (1919-1996) delivers an unpredictable score in which changes of orientation occur frequently. The second movement, for example, fluctuates between the rhythm of the habanera and that of the tango before giving in to the rush of Slavic folklore. Edgar Moreau plays the chameleons wonderfully, well accompanied by the Latvian chef Andris Poga, who likes film projections. The concert by Henri Dutilleux (1916-2013), A very distant world… (1967-1970), requires much more finesse in lyricism and dramaturgy. A world that seems alien to the seismic WDR Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra Cologne. Edgar Moreau, 28 years old at the time of recording, instead signs the most beautiful soloist version we have heard since Jean-Guihen Queyras’s in 2004, from one line (exquisite vibrato, hyper-refined colors). that ideally combines intimacy and grandeur. Pierre Gervasoni

• Baptiste Trotignon
  Brexit music

The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Police, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin and more are brought to jazz in this successful fortress Brexit music, by pianist Baptiste Trotignon. In a trio with double bassist Matt Penman and drummer Greg Hutchinson for acoustic covers of pop and rock compositions, paying attention to the memory of the original melodies and reinventing the atmosphere. Here is Drive my car (1965), the Beatles, at a slower tempo, towards blues; Message in a bottle (1979), of The Police, which loses its metronomic aspect and reggae-like bridge to become more of a ballad; the exact bass line of Money (1973) by Pink Floyd serves as the basis for fine piano interventionsInterstellar fast stage (1967) is reminiscent of the improvisation part of the group in its early days. And if the gathering of Misty Mountain Hop (1971)Four sticks (1971) et Lots of love (1969) by Led Zeppelin retains its rock pressure, the painful heaviness of We are the winners (1977) by Queen becomes an enchanting waltz. There are many musical ideas here, a strong sense of arrangement and a tasty playful approach in each of these reinterpretations. Sylvain Siclier

You still have 49.08% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.