Friday, September 10, 2021

Le GGRIL - Sommes (September 10th on Tour de Bras)

GGRIL celebrates its 15th anniversary. For the occasion, the most extravagant orchestra from Rimouski’s cultural scene offers you a new album that perfectly portrays its nature: gargantuan. Three discs, 12 commissioned pieces by as many composers, 21 musicians, 211 minutes of music. On this seventh opus under the label Tour de Bras, the group revisites compositions by canadian and international creators, written specifically for him between 2012 and 2020. Produced and mixed by Michel F. Côté, under the musical direction of Guido Del Fabbro and recorded by Bernard Grenon at the Coopérative de Solidarité Paradis during pandemic september 2020, Sommes represents what GGRIL does best: a new music thoroughly spontaneous by an unlikely and disconcerting ensemble.

The first disc draws the audience to the heart of the work of concentration and integration of the GGRIL. It is composed of long and intense pieces, starting with a piece by composer Frédéric Blondy, Îlots Turgescents. A solo follows, called Le Chat de Chesshire, taken from one of the performances of the piece Alice by composer Robert Marcel Lepage. Alice will follow and the disc will end with a composition by Lisa Cay Miller, too love that well.

The second disc brings together pieces where attention is paid to micro-movement, to the internal structure of each sound and its place in the whole. It takes you along more meditative landscapes with soft and complex reliefs like an embroidery. First, with the piece rivers and mountains by Malcolm Goldstein, which pays particular attention to strings. Then, Caroline Kraabel's piece Une note n’écoutant qu’elle même, explores the multiple choices of intentions possible before the musical gesture. Two solos will follow, two more Chat de Cheshire, before going with Alison Cameron and the more contemplative piece In Memoriam (Robert Ashley). The disc ends with Eistphéist, a piece recorded live with the Bozzini Quartet and the composer, Martin Arnold.

The third disc highlights the power, versatility and theatricality of GGRIL, in addition to providing a window into the god humor and community spirit of its musicians. It begins with a piece by Lori Freedman, Chances are, to move towards Hantises d'os noués by Michel F. Côté (based on excerpts from rehearsals and improvisations by GGRIL), a Chat..., The curve of the moment by Jean Derome , a last Chat..., another version of A note listening only to itself and the composition of Gus Garside Cumuli.
Disc 1
1. Alice (Robert Marcel Lepage)13:54
2. Chat (Luke) 2:27
3. Îlots Turgescents (Frédéric Blondy) 26:25
4. To Love That Well (Lisa Cay Miller)17:06

Disc 2
1. Chat (Pascal) 2:37
2. Chat (Gabriel) 2:53
3. Éistphéist feat. Quatuor Bozzini (Martin Arnold) 25:25*
4. In Memoriam Robert Ashley (Allison Cameron) 12:07
5. Rivers and Mountains Remain (Malcolm Goldstein) 19:43
6. Une note n’écoutant qu’elle même (Caroline Kraabel) 6:01

Disc 3
1. Chances Are (Lori Freedman) 14:24
2. Chat (Rémy) 2:32
3. Chat (Éric) 2:35
4. CUMULI (Gus Garside) 10:43
5. Hantises d’os noués 15:05
6. La courbe du moment (Jean Derome) 6:48
7. Une note n’écoutant qu’elle même (25 sept.) (Kraabel) 4:44

LE GGRIL

Violin: Patricia Ho-yi Wang, Catherine S. Massicotte
Cello: Rémy Bélanger de Beauport, Alexis Gagnier- Michel
Trumpet: Alexandre Robichaud
Trombone: Gabriel Rochette-Bériault
Oboe: Clarisse Bériault
Bass Clarinet: Sébastien Côrriveau
Baritone Saxophone: Mathieu Gosselin
Accordion: Robin Servant
Electric Harp: Isabelle Clermont
Synthesizers: Antoine Létourneau-Berger
Classical Guitar: Pascal Bérubé
Electric Guitar: Robert Bastien, Olivier D’Amours
Electric Baritone Guitar: Marc-Antoine Mackin-Guay
Double Bass: Luke Dawson
Electric Basses: Thomas G. Asselin, Éric Normand
Percussion: Tom Jacques, Antoine Létourneau-Berger, Jonathan Huard
Quatuor Bozzini*: Alissa Cheung, Clemens Merkel (Violin);
Stéphanie Bozzini (Viola); Isabelle Bozzini (cello)
Banjo: Martin Arnold*