Musique Ancienne
performed by Bruno Jacques Pelletier
Works of: Bach, Vallet, Dowland, Weiss
© 2010 Les Productions Discorde
Artist Website: www.brunojacquespelletier.com
Listen to samples: www.brunojacquespelletier.com/ma/media.php
Buy the album: www.plages.net/index.cfm?c=album&id=347
Review of Musique Ancienne
performed by Bruno Jacques Pelletier
Works of: Bach, Vallet, Dowland, Weiss
by Bradford Werner
Quebec guitarist Bruno Jacques Pelletier has sent me a very interesting recording to review both due to the repertoire and the instrument he's working with. He's playing a 10-string guitar by Canadian luthier Jean Rompre. As he mentions in his liner notes, his interest in the 10-string was sparked by listening to the great Stephan Schmidt. I remember the first time I heard Schmidt's recordings, I was suddenly at peace with hearing Bach on the guitar! More on the 10-string later on.
The recording opens with the Prelude from Bach's BWV 998 Prelude, Fugue, and Allegro. He has some beautifully paced shaping of the lines and a real feel for the prelude aesthetic and development of the loose material. It would have been nice to hear the the Fugue and Allegro but there is a good deal of repertoire on the recording so the listener only gets a taste of the Bach.
Next on the recording, a collection of works by Nicholas Vellet (1583-1642). Any pre-Baroque music always reminds me of the wealth of early music out there just waiting for the guitar world to explore. It really is OUR time period for secular instrumental music and guitarists must explore its near endless wealth. If you're not familiar with Vallet you'll find familiar dances such as Galliards, Bourees, Preludes and other Renaissance/Baroque character dances. Mr. Pelletier explores the dances with ease and a sensitive touch for Renaissance articulation. The phrasing is very vocal in quality at time with beautiful shaping to the lines and sweet tapering at the ends of phrases. At other times the lines spin in variation to instrumental virtuosity. The overall experience is very enjoyable and quite charming. My only complaint would be the heavy sound of the 10-string bass strings to what would otherwise be a lighter textured lute experience. This sound works better for the Baroque works. However, Mr. Pelletier has a good sense of what he's working with and the pieces take on a new life of their own under his guidance so my overall experience was still very engaging and delightful.
The recording includes four tunes by John Dowland (1553-1626), Queen Elisabeth, Melancholy Galliard, Lady Hammond's Alman, and the Frog Galliard. Many of you are likely familiar with Dowland from your Fredrick Noad books, the RCM books, or other popular sheet music selections. In some ways Dowland get buried in upper level classical guitar due to a preference for Baroque works and for other reasons I can't quite fathom. Dowland is the gift to lute and guitar players as is Beethoven and Bach is to keyboard. His range of works vary from short to long, easy to very difficult. It takes a very special touch to pull off the perfect Dowland line. So don't think Dowland is only for the RCM books! He is master composer and a major figure in Western Art Music. This recording of Dowland is very special for its separation of the musical voices, in particular, the way the bass voice is given room to take on life of its own. This is often lost in Dowland due to the beautiful vocal quality of the upper lines. The recording certainly reminds me more of lute phrasing and articulations and I recommend you listen to the samples to hear what I'm discussing (see link at top).
Silvius Leopold Weiss (1687–1750) is another gem to the guitar and lute world. He was one of the highest paid court musicians of his time and very well respected. I was reading period letters to and from J.S. Bach a little while back and there are references to the two masters having contests improvising fugues, Weiss on the lute and Bach on the organ. Well, I'll be honest, if you haven't heard Weiss on lute or 10-string guitar…you must! The music flows with much more ease than Bach, the galant style was becoming popular and Weiss's music is a part of that transformation. The low sound of the bass strings with the proper octave voicing make the lines so much more enjoyable and relaxed sounding and likely saves the guitarist from leaping about the neck in a frenzy. Sarabande 3.23′ minutes in: now there is a broken chord for every guitarist to eat their heart out. When you hear it you will buy a 10-string.
Conclusion:
Bruno Jacques Pelletier has recorded some of my favorite repertoire on an instrument that gives the music true justice. His musicality and relaxed pace also makes this recording highly listenable. As I've said before, I particularly like themed albums and Bruno's marketing and programming pretty much hit the spot. It might seem overly themed and marketed but I think it showcases the material it a way that compliments the entire collection of works. Congrats!