Montreal-based post-classical pianist and composer Jean-Michel Blais is thrilled to announce the upcoming release of his new EP sérénades. Out 10 March 2023, the EP is the solo piano companion to Blais’ highly-successful 2022 album aubades, which was nominated for a Polaris Prize. Pre-save here.
Featuring intimate and atmospheric solo piano versions of key tracks from the album, amour & ouessant, as well as three new compositions, sérénades is the nocturnal, stripped-back counterpart to the orchestral brightness of aubades. Alongside this announcement, he releases the stunning amour piano performance video filmed at Vox-Ton studio in Berlin during the recording session, linked here. The EP has a powerful connection to the world of sleep and dreams, as Blais describes in his signature dry humour:
“This EP is the length of the recommended nap: 25 to 30 minutes. To be honest, I’ve never been able to listen to this EP without drifting into sleep. I normally try and make my music play with your attention by constantly introducing new elements. But with this EP I was thinking about music of the night. It’s not meant to distract you and keep you alert. Please fall asleep to it.”
One of these new tracks, “la chute” (“The Fall”), continues a rich tradition of composers writing music specifically for the left hand, including works by composers such as Scriabin, Ravel, Bach and Chopin. “la chute” was composed after Blais injured his right arm in a fall, leading him to channel his frustration into the piece.
“There was a moment there where I thought it was just finished for me as a pianist. It was quite a dark place which is why the song is not that happy. In the emergency room, they gave me morphine and ketamine, putting me in a state where I was completely disconnected from reality. My boyfriend had this denim coat with a woollen collar, and for some reason, I started dreaming about sheep in the alps, a shepherd, and the sheep’s wool becoming clouds as I drifted into the sky. And suddenly there was Maurice Ravel who suddenly appeared on his own little cloud.
“When I came back to reality, the dream reminded me of this piece that Ravel wrote for his friend who lost his right arm in the First World War. So then, for fun, I just started playing with what remained (my left hand) and I composed ‘la chute’ .” – Jean-Michel Blais
Jean-Michel Blais will embark on a triad of noteworthy performances this January. The first show will be on January 20 at Koerner Hall in Toronto, followed by a sold-out show on January 26 at National Sawdust in Brooklyn. Find more information here. The month caps off with yet another sold out and very special performance entitled aubades orchestral on January 29 at Grand Théâtre de Québec in Québec City. aubades orchestral will be a rare opportunity to see Jean-Michel perform his most recent album in its original version, accompanied on stage by a 12-musician chamber orchestra and their conductor. More 2023 dates will be announced soon.
Jean-Michel Blais’ sérénades is released on Mercury KX on 10 March 2023
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