Yann
Tiersen is one of the poets of the French music scene,
and his profile has risen steadily since his work on the
soundtrack of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s unforgettable
tale of innocence and love that was Amélie
From Montmartre. The Oscars nominated film, released
in 2001, captured the imagination of millions, not only
in France, but also abroad, making it one of the biggest
international successes of recent years. The majority
of the music accompanying the movie was drawn from Tiersen’s
first four albums, released between 1995 and 2001.
One of the leaders of the neo-realist movement in his
native country, alongside Miossec and Dominic A, Yann
Tiersen has been reviving the traditional Gallic heritage
left by the likes of Edith Piaf, Frehel or Jacques Brel
and mixing it with modern flavours. Born in Brest, on
the North-West coast of Brittany in the early seventies,
Tiersen studied classical music in Rennes and Nantes before
adopting the anachronic approach that brought him unanimous
success in his country, using a variety of instruments
up to then regarded as old fashioned, ranging from accordions
to harpsichords, his compositions encompassing musette
waltzes, a genre popular in traditional balls across France
in the forties and fifties, gipsy-flavoured mazurkas and
classical music.
L’Absente, released in France last year,
finally makes it to this side of the Channel. His most
ambitious work to date, this album shows Tiersen collaborating
not only with old friends such as Dominica A or Les Têtes
Raides, on Bagatelle and La Lettre d’Explication
respectively, but also with the crème of American
and British pop with vocal contributions from Lisa Germano,
on the delicate La Parade and Le Meridien,
and Divine Comedy main man Neil Hannon, appearing here
in his element on the beautiful Les Jours Tristes,
which already featured in an instrumental version as one
of the main themes of Amélie. This song
fits Hannon so well that it will have the fans of the
grand Divine Comedy long for the man’s return to
his most exquisite incarnation. Tiersen himself offers
a sensitive vocal performance on L’Echec
and Le Concert alongside actress Natacha Régnier.
Adding to the musical scope of this enchanting collection
of instrumentals and songs sung in either French or English
are the orchestral touches of the thirty-five piece Ensemble
Orchestral Synaxis.
L’Absente is a magnificent testament to
traditional French music. As he place the melodies at
the centre of his art, Yann Tiersen brings the evocative
power of his compositions to the surface, cleverly juggling
with a wide range of emotions, ultimately offering one
of the most essential pieces of work ever to have come
out of France.
5/5 |
