Baroque Tardif by Florent Ghys

Following his 2009 EP release, Baroque Tardif: Soli (CA21051), Florent Ghys is back with a full-length album, Baroque Tardif, revealing the various directions his work has taken him the last four years.

The answer to the common question musicians often get - "what kind of music do you play?" - is summed up neatly in this title (meaning "late Baroque"). Says Florent, ''When I was a teenager I had an odd classical guitar teacher who was convinced that baroque music would come back one day and would crush all other kinds of music. I remembered this peculiar idea while working on the first draft for this album since the pieces in it are often very dense and contrapuntal. Baroque Tardif could be like the resurrection of a very late baroque."

Baroque Tardif encompasses a diverse medley of multimedia experimentation. Phase parisienne features some contrapuntal experiments while Quatrieme implores an extended canon technique. Pull blanc, chemise rouge, always remaining playful and modal, brings out an accessible pop side to Florent's music. The album also unveils Florent's personal vocal technique, as in Simplement, in which his voice sings on top of a speech sample. Even more compelling is the dominate use of solfege (do re mi...) as lyrics, leading the listener to consider voice as an instrument.

As with his first EP, Florent has recorded this album using a unique and personal tuning of the double bass, bringing the instrument nearer from the cello and extending the range of possibilities of his virtual "multiple-me ensemble" made of basses, guitars, voices and percussion.

''Florent Ghys is one of a new breed of composer/performers who thrives on performing the music he composes. He creates highly contrapuntal, post-minimalist chamber music showcasing intelligent multi-tracking and inventive use of electronics and sampled speech.'' - Q2 radio

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