FRANÇAIS

On May 4th 2010 virtuoso violinist Marc-André Gautier launches his first album. Produced by pianist André Gagnon, the record is an invitation to discover– or rediscover—some of the most sublime melodies of our era. Selected from a vast international repertoire, each track is translated into the delicate language of Stradivarius.

In order to find the perfect balance, Marc-André Gautier and André Gagnon spent countless hours listening to stacks of albums from around the world. Finally, they chose 8 tailor-made pieces for their project, like Carlos Gardel’s magnificent Por una cabeza tango, immortalized in the film Scent of a Woman.

“Our principal selection criteria was melody—we looked for beautiful melodies to adapt to violin,” recalls Marc-André. Three other pieces of world music found themselves on the album: Azulao, a Brazilian lullaby, Ha uma musica do povo, a well-known Portuguese fado, and Danny Boy, the iconic Irish ballad. With his doctorate in violin from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris in hand, Marc-André also permitted himself a wink to classical music with Tchaikovsky’s Au bal. From the category of film music the maestro opted for the theme of Cinema Paradiso, “It’s one of the first pieces we singled out and it stayed on our list the whole way.” Two original compositions by André Gagnon, Arabesque and Lunes, complete the set.

The Trois-Rivières Symphony Orchestra, led by Jacques Lacombe, accompanies Marc-André on three pieces (Azulao, Cinema Paradiso Love Theme and Arabesque). The signatures of Marc Beaulieu and André Gagnon can be found on most of the arrangements. The album, available in stores on May 4th, raises the curtains on the eclectic world of an artist who has given himself the mission of opening up his instrument to the general public.

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Marc-André est l’un des rares élus à avoir la chance de jouer sur un magnifique violon Antonio Stradivarius de 1713, ainsi que le très connu Stradivarius «ex-Léopold Auer». Conçu en 1691, cet instrument a appartenu à l’un des plus grands professeurs de l’histoire du violon, Léopold Auer. Il utilise aussi un archet unique signé François-Xavier Tourte. Le tout lui a été généreusement prêté par Canimex

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SOURCE: AUDIOGRAM