Illuminations - Improvisations on Bach by Philippe Thuriot

Johann Sebastian Bach

Philippe Thuriot

Illuminations - Improvisations on Bach

Price: € 19.95
Format: CD
Label: Challenge Classics
UPC: 0608917200140
Catnr: CC 720014
Release date: 07 February 2025
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Label
Challenge Classics

UPC
0608917200140

Catalogue number
CC 720014

Release date
07 February 2025

Album

Artist(s)

Composer(s)

About the album

Philippe Thuriot: When I look back, my childhood was filled with dance at bal evenings in my parents’ café, le Café du Village, where I also danced to my uncles’ accordion and drums. In reality. My first act of adolescence was discovering Bach instead of the rock bands my peers loved, sparking a decades-long quest for musical beauty. During my studies in Copenhagen, I immersed myself in contemporary accordion music, and the urge to improvise grew, leading to collaborations with jazz musicians. In parallel, dance re-emerged through my work with contemporary ballet troupes. It prompted me to experiment even more with improvisation. This project, “Illuminations”, weaves together all these various musical experiences, featuring surprises and improvisations based on Bach’s works. I reinterpret his music with modern elements and insights, ultimately reconciling with the music of my youth. So the spontaneity and sense of fun that I knew in childhood are back in a new form in “Illuminations”.

Philippe Thuriot: Wanneer ik terugkijk, besef ik dat mijn jeugd doordrenkt was met dans tijdens de bals in het café van mijn ouders, Le Café du Village, waar ik ook danste op de accordeon en drums van mijn ooms. In werkelijkheid was mijn eerste daad van adolescentie het ontdekken van Bach, in plaats van de rockbands waar mijn leeftijdsgenoten van hielden. Dit ontketende een decennialange zoektocht naar muzikale schoonheid.

Tijdens mijn studie in Kopenhagen dompelde ik mezelf onder in hedendaagse accordeonmuziek, en mijn drang om te improviseren groeide, wat leidde tot samenwerkingen met jazzmuzikanten. Tegelijkertijd keerde de dans terug in mijn leven door mijn werk met hedendaagse balletgezelschappen. Dit inspireerde me om nog verder te experimenteren met improvisatie.

Dit project, Illuminations, verweeft al deze muzikale ervaringen, met verrassingen en improvisaties op basis van Bachs werken. Ik herinterpreteer zijn muziek met moderne elementen en inzichten, en verzoen me zo uiteindelijk met de muziek uit mijn jeugd. De spontaniteit en het plezier die ik als kind kende, keren in een nieuwe vorm terug in Illuminations.

Philippe Thuriot: Wenn ich zurückblicke, war meine Kindheit erfüllt von Tanz auf Ballabenden im Café meiner Eltern, dem Café du Village, wo ich auch zur Ziehharmonika und den Trommeln meines Onkels tanzte. In Echt. Mein erster großer Schritt in die Adoleszenz war die Entdeckung von Bach anstelle der Rockbands, die meine Altersgenossen liebten, was eine jahrzehntelange Suche nach musikalischer Schönheit auslöste. Während meines Studiums in Kopenhagen tauchte ich in die zeitgenössische Akkordeonmusik ein und der Drang zu improvisieren wuchs, was zu Kooperationen mit Jazzmusikern führte. Parallel dazu tauchte der Tanz durch meine Arbeit mit zeitgenössischen Balletttruppen wieder auf. Das veranlasste mich, noch mehr mit Improvisation zu experimentieren. In diesem Projekt „Illuminations“ werden all diese verschiedenen musikalischen Erfahrungen miteinander verwoben, mit Überraschungen und Improvisationen, die auf Bachs Werken basieren. Ich interpretiere seine Musik mit modernen Elementen und Erkenntnissen neu und versöhne mich letztendlich mit der Musik meiner Jugend. So sind die Spontaneität und der Spaß, die ich aus meiner Kindheit kenne, in „Illuminations“ in neuer Form zurück.

Artist(s)

Philippe Thuriot (accordion)

The Belgian accordionist has been playing on the international stage for 30 years. After graduating at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen under Mogens Ellegaards supervision, his career took a high flight. He toured with Les Ballets C de la B, the international dance company of Alain Platel, performing La Tristeza Complice (1996) and Pitié (2008) throughout Europe, the USA, Brazil and Congo. Philippe Thuriot was invited to play with orchestras like Oxalys, Het Collectief (Reinbert De Leeuw), Il Gardellino, Ictus, De koninklijke muntschouwburg, Klangforum Wien, Symphonieorkest Vlaanderen, Brussels Jazz Orchestra and WDR jazz orchestra. Various composers wrote an accordion concerto especially for Thuriot: Dick Van der Harst, Peter Vermeersch and Dirk D’ase (in the Wiener Conzert-Verein).
In 2015 he recorded the Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach for the Warner Classics / Klara label. In 2018 he recorded a second solo disc with own arrangements of music by Couperin and Ravel. Both cd’s were highly praised by the international music press and received favourable reviews.
He performed at numerous international festivals such as Crete Senesi in Tuscany, in honour of the 70th birthday of Philippe Herreweghe. He also played together, amongst others, with Louis Sclavis, Ellery Eskelin, René Lussier, Uri Caine, Mark Feldman and Maria Schneider, each of them a master in the jazz scene.

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Composer(s)

Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician of the Baroque period. He enriched established German styles through his skill in counterpoint, harmonic and motivic organisation, and the adaptation of rhythms, forms, and textures from abroad, particularly from Italy and France. Bach's compositions include the Brandenburg Concertos, the Goldberg Variations, the Mass in B minor, two Passions, and hundreds of cantatas. His music is revered for its technical command, artistic beauty, and intellectual depth. Bach's abilities as an organist were highly respected during his lifetime, although he was not widely recognised as a great composer until a revival of interest in and performances of his music in the first half of the 19th century. He is now generally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time.

Bach's abilities as an organist were highly respected during his lifetime, although he was not widely recognised as a great composer until a revival of interest in and performances of his music in the first half of the 19th century. He is now generally regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time.

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