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Claude Marc Bourget Espouses Beauty In Musiques de Ballet
- Artist(s):
- Genre: Jazz - Improvisation
- Personnel:
Claude Marc Bourget – Hamburg Steinway piano
- Tracks:
The High Bank, Poppies of the Tsangpo, The Exbury Azaleas, The Alpine to the Millstone, The Floral Terrace Between Rain and Sun, Blue Heron in the Pond, Belvedere on the Silver River, In Search of Gentians, Bathing Birds of the Night, Long Walk in the Royal Colors, The Crabapple Red Spring, Alone in the Stream Garden, Woodland Deepening, Supernatural Presence of the Primula, Espana Mistica, Entrée a Deux (homme et femme), Entrée Seul (homme), Entrée Seul (femme), Entrée a Deux (femme et enfant), Entrée a Deux (homme et enfant), Entrée a Trois (homme, femme et enfant), Entrée Seul (enfant), Premiere Passacaille, Deuxieme Passacaille, Derniere Passacaille, Naissance du Cygne, Pas de Deux
Improviser Claude Marc Bourget crafts infinite possibilities with the piano keys imprinting patterns with enriching nuances that he composed for his latest recording Musiques de Ballet from the Canadian label Audience. Using the grand acoustics of Francoys-Bernier Concert Hall and the venue’s Hamburg Steinway piano, Musiques de Ballet is a montage of expressive figures and organic forms that fluctuate from frame to frame postulating striking vignettes along the progressions seamed by smooth transitions.
Moving with the light fluidity of a tender breeze in “Belvedere on the Silver River,” Bourget shifts naturally into the scintillating splashing motions of “The Crabapple Red Spring.” His patterns seem to be arbitrary, and yet, lyrical as they move with the melodical phrasing of a ballerina’s arcs, leaps, and extensions causing his keys to flex into winding pirouettes, elegant arabesques, and gliding passes. Each pieces resounds with the impression of a sonata written to praise the object which it desires.
The first 14 tracks rafter the “Reford Gardens Suite” with descriptive phrases that protract and recede intermittently, and segue into the radiant sprigs of “Espana Mistica.” The proceeding 7 tracks comprise of the “Sept Entrees de Ballet” which moves into the 3-track collection of “Passacailles Etranges et Tragiques,” before closing the album with the angelical reflections accentuating “Naissance du Cygne” and the wispy fanning of the keys through “Pas de Deux.”
While certain phrases of “Sept Entrees de Ballet” are towering and display a lively pageantry, other sections recline into a dulcet gait. Bourget’s playing is crisp with a resonating clarity that shows good definition and diversity as he constructs ornate designs in the piano keys linking the patterns with transitional swells that assist in elevating the shifts.
Bourget’s works have culminated into a synthesis of jazz and classical music, but above all, he is an avant garde artist. His improvisations fluctuate from welding rapid flickers to brandishing low-lit embers. His playing is diverse and the scope of his prowess is expansive. He is a colorful pianist who delves into his craft with an open mind and a willingness to travel where others fear to attempt.
