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Francois Couturier: Tarkovsky Quartet
ByTarkovsky Quartet reunites the group from Nostalghia, and wraps up Couturier's trilogy of Tarkovsky-inspired recordings on notes both strong and sublime. Couturier's penchant for elegant lyricism has been fundamental to his ECM recordings including 1998's duo session with violinist Dominique Pifarély, Poros, and, more recently, with oudist Anouar Brahem on 2006's Le Voyage de Sahar, and he brings a similar romanticism to the opening "A celui qui a vu l'ange," patiently extrapolating on its simple theme a capella. Accordionist Jean-Louis Matinier (another Brahem alum) and cellist Anja Lechner (who straddles the increasingly fuzzy line between ECM's regular and New series) soon join in, weaving intricate tapestries, but it's not until the eight-minute composition's half-way point, when soprano saxophonist Jean-Marc Larché makes his first appearance, that the music truly begins to take flight.
As poignant as Couterier's writing is, it's his use of these four instruments, in arrangements that seamlessly explore various permutations and combinationssolo, duo, trio and quartet, often within the context of a single piecethat gives Tarkovsky Quartet its rarefied air. The blending of two reeds, Marché's saxophone and Matinier's accordion, creates an irresistible symbiosisone that's also been explored on saxophonist Trygve Seim's duo record with accordionist Frode Haltli, 2008's Yeraz, but here, comingled with the expressive tone of bow on string, and given rhythmic life by Couturier on tracks like the haunting "Tiapa," there's even greater synchronicity amongst the four musicians than on Nostalghia.
Three spontaneous compositions bring an oblique edge to Tarkovsky Quartet, though "Le main et l'oiseau" comes together with such implicit form as to belie its in-the-moment creation, while the structure of Couturier's "Mouchette" is so abstruse as to feel more like a spontaneous creation.
An extemporaneity that defines the set, whether it's the flitting freedom of "Sardor," or the more interpretive nature of "Maroussia," one of two pieces referencing compositions by J.S. Bach. If Tarkovsky Quartet is, indeed, an ending, then hopefully it doesn't mean the dissolution of this remarkable group, whose seamless integration of timeless autoschediastic élan with classical concerns from centuries past has them carving out a personal space in the realm of contemporary improvised music.
Track Listing
A celui qui a vu l'ange; Tiapa; San Galgano; Maroussia; Mychkine; Mouchette; La passion selon Andreï; L'Apocalypse; Doktor Faustus; Sardor; La main et l'oiseau; De l'autre côté du miroir.
Personnel
François Couturier: piano; Anja Lechner: violoncello; Jean Louis Matinier: accordion; Jean Marc Larché: soprano saxophone.
Album information
Title: Tarkovsky Quartet | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: ECM Records
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