A new recording from TRIO ALLA GRANDE / Trio Alla Grande
Buy the recording:
http://www.productionsdoz.com/c277195p17579044.1.html
Repertoire:
- Baiao de Gude,
by P. Bellinati - Soupirs d’espace,
by P. Sasseville - The King’s Banquet
by M. Houghton - Rhûn,
by B.Piris
Performers: Rémi Barrette, Julien Bisaillon et Bruno Roussel
Trio Alla Grande myspace: www.myspace.com/trioallagrande
I’ve included some clips of Trio Alla Grande from YouTube at the bottom of this post in case you haven’t heard the trio before. Take a listen.
Trio Alla Grande hail from the Outaouais region of western Quebec where they have created a strong name for themselves. The players, from what I know via word of mouth, might be young but have strong reputations as strong guitarists; well educated and informed. Rémi Barrette, Julien Bisaillon and Bruno Roussel release their first recording as Trio Alla Grande including some fine repertoire and Canadian content.
My initial impressions of the recording based on the first track by Bellinati is that the trio has both the chops and sensitivity to pull off a professional job. The recording quality is high and whoever is playing the top voice has some beautiful control of tone and legato phrasing. Now, I’ll get one thing out of the way right from the start, there are some small moments here and there when the ensemble could be more together. However, to my ears the group is playing out and taking some risks and the result is positive. They don’t hold back on tempos and the vibe of the recording is one that keeps me listening attentively. With that in mind, I’ve highly enjoyed listening to the recording over the past week and expect to keep out and ready to put on again and again as the energy rivals that of a live performance which is far better than a sterile studio recording masked by recording techniques and careful playing.
Baiao de Gude by P. Bellinati is one of those works that obviously work well on the instrument and offers the group a great deal of freedom to explore the various colours and textures available to the classical guitar. If you haven’t heard the piece you can imaging some Patrick Roux with Piazolla in there as well. Trio Alla Grande impress me here because of their agreements on tempos and smooth transitions between contrasting sections of the music. This track is the highlight of the recording not becuase of the composition itself but because the trio sounds very at home with the groove and form of the work.
Soupirs d’espace by P. Sasseville is familiar after my review of Oberon Trio‘s recording of the same work. The recordings are quite different, where Oberon focuses on colour and tight ensemble performance, Trio Alla Grande take a more direct and extroverted approach. I almost get the feeling of a popular music jam session with lines crisscrossing and the rhythmic grooves being emphasized; very apparent in Supernovae and Cadavre stellaire. I love the sound of the bass strings on Supernovae, they really growl and bite. An exciting performance of the work emphasizing the contrasting movements. Not all the movements are recorded here so if you’re looking for the full work you’ll want the Oberon recording for completeness.
At first I couldn’t understand why The King’s Banquet by M. Houghton was on this recording but I have since reconsidered. The more I listen to the album as a whole the more I hear the group as like-minded guitarists who enjoy their time together and it comes across in that jam session feeling; very well suited to Renaissance aesthetic of the work.
I won’t say much about the Rhûn by B.Piris, the other highlight of the recording. Like the Bellinati, the piece works well on the instrument and the trio pulls it off beautifully. The more sensitive side of the trio gets to shine here which I’m glad they offered as it showcases their ability to be mature and well-paced players. I’ve included a YouTube clip below so take a listen.
Conclusion:
An exciting first release, Trio Alla Grande have delivered a recording with the energy of a live performance but the sound of a studio recording. Trio Alla Grande is one of Canada’s most promising and exciting guitar ensembles and I look forward to hearing more from them.
The trio’s strength lies in their ability to retain the energy of a live performance even in the studio. This leads me to believe that these fine guitarist’s love their art and the trio experience and it comes across nicely.
Le Trio Alla Grande joue “Rhûn” de Bernard Piris
Le Trio Alla Grande joue “Imagerie” de F. Kleynjans, novembre 2009.
