Christian Vasseur – Poèmes saturniens

Press material

• Conch 002 – release sheet (PDF)
• Conch 002 – release sheet (TXT)
• Conch 002 – cover front (TIF, greyscale, 300dpi)
• Conch 002 – cover back (TIF, greyscale, 300dpi)
• Conch 002 – cover front (JPG, RGB, 72dpi)
• Conch 002 – cover back (JPG, RGB, 72dpi)

Reviews
textura
A lute recording obviously doesn’t date in the way one does that’s tied to developing digital technologies. Even so, one can still detect clear differences between these excellent Christian Vasseur albums newly issued by Humming Conch, with the 1993 Alam recording preceding Poèmes saturniens by a decade. Firstly, it should be noted that only the former is lute-based; Vasseur recorded the latter using a number of different guitars—flamenco, steel-string, etc. Nevertheless, there’s a noticeable difference in style between the two, with the first slightly more “in the tradition” and the second broader in the techniques used and more “modern” in spirit.

The lute is so inextricably bound up with traditions associated with John Dowland and Elizabethan lute music, it’s almost impossible not to hear Alam in light of such references. Even so, Vasseur’s material sounds fresh and unconstrained by tradition. One of the most appealing things about the album is the patience he demonstrates in his playing; no piece feels hurried, and the more ponderous settings (e.g., “A grey ground dedicated to an anonymous English composer,” “Waiting for the bells”) are given as much time to unfold as they require; noteworthy as well is the control shown in modulating between extreme tempo changes (e.g., “Peter Gabriel’s dream”). The sound is crystal-clear and uncluttered, with 14-string-archlute the sole instrument (though near-subliminal vocal accompaniment appears during “No try to tie the butterfly (for Nathalie)”) and its deep and dark qualities on full display. Having formally studied the lute for many years with a number of renowned teachers in Paris and Toulouse , Vasseur is clearly a virtuoso, but technique is used in the service of the work. The chime of his rapid picking at times makes the lute resemble a banjo in “Peter Gabriel’s dream,” while his supplicating over a pedal point drone in the title piece is memorable too.

Poèmes saturniens is as beautifully recorded as Alam and as expressive—melancholy, yes, but more aggressive and turbulent by comparison. On the 2003 recording, Vasseur turns his attention to guitar, specifically flamenco, nylon-string, and parlor-steel string, plus Indian zither. The beautiful Spanish-styled setting, “Fragments,” showcases the full range of his talents in a single, nine-minute setting. Resonant picking, deftly-handled tempo shifts, and a dramatic vocal-enhanced theme combine to give the opening piece a powerful wistfulness. Much like a peaceful memory reflection returning to consciousness before just as quickly being swept aside, “Il y a…” appears twice as an interlude before closing the album in its complete form. As mentioned, the range of techniques is broader in the later recording. In “E.A.P.,” his whispered voice emerges like an incantatory spirit while scraped strings briefly transform the piece into a dazzling mini-vortex. He strikes the instrument’s body while rapidly picking through “Echappée belle,” scratches and scrapes the strings to create a drunken, woozy effect in “Epanchement du songe,” and accompanies frenetic guitar flurries with animal-like grunts during the fast sections in “Le rire de Démocrite.”

EARlabs (Sietse van Erve)
Christian Vasseur is a classically trained musician on both classical guitar and lute.

The album Alam is a collection of pieces on 14-string arch lute. The 11 pieces on the album are from a 16 year old improvisation recording session, though the music has an overall structured sound. The songs are build from returning patterns that could easily be composed instead of improvised. The classical training that Vasseur followed plays a major role in his work, though there is also room for a more modern approach. The returning patterns indicate an influence from folk and pop music.
As a whole this album shows a talented musician, but for me it lacks the adventure.

From a complete other level is the album Poèmes Saturniens, where Vasseur chooses to play the guitar instead. Besides the guitar he also uses soft vocals and humming as an ingredient for the different pieces here.
The improvised pieces on this album are from a complete different character than those on Alam. Where Alam was based on returning patterns Poèmes Saturniens is free music.
Not only in the play it’s free, also the feeling it leaves is one of freedom, but also sadness shows up in the music. An overall melancholy takes over the mood.
With the fragile guitar playing Vasseur takes us on an emotional journey.

As happens so often this album also got quite some plays during my daily train travels to and from work. What surprised me with this album how the fast passing landscape fits very well to the notes played. The music makes everything slow down. Reminders from the German TV film Heimat: Eine Deutsche Chronik came to mind. A down to earth experience about real people living their lives taking it with the joy and the sadness, the love and the pain, birth and death.
This association makes Poèmes Saturniens an album really worth trying.

If I have to compare Alam and Poèmes Saturniens I can’t say this is a really easy task. They both have their own character and mood. Though, I myself prefer the more experimental character of Poèmes Saturniens. The freedom lures me more into it and there is more to discover.
But both albums together are a lovely introduction to Christian Vasseurs music.

Blow Up magazine (Nicola Catalano)
Il tratto più evidente dei “Poèmes saturniens” di Christian Vasseur è la loro intrinseca malinconia. Smarriti accordi di chitarre diverse (ma anche di una cetra indiana e la voce qua e là), sovrastati per lo più dall’influenza del flamenco, a tratti guidati da asperità sperimental-improvvisative, raccontano pensieri fragili e umorali. Peccato che, oltre alla malinconia, nell’ascoltatore si insinui anche un po’ di noia. (6)

Cyclic Defrost
Christian Vasseur is a bit of an oddity for Cyclic Defrost. He just scrapes through the “interesting music” front with tracks like ‘Epanchement du songe’ which holds a strange, mangled precision that unfolds to reveal a guitarist who can wield patterns of dissonance. This ten track album of guitar instrumentals includes many pieces that flesh out his excursions through classical guitar and flamenco, displaying a honed, controlled sense of improvisation.

Vasseur was something of a self taught guitarist until he met a few knowledgeable teachers and has since extended his range into the lute. It is not difficult to hear on Poemes Saturniens and the name-checking of the guitar craftsmen is a dead giveaway of his dedication. However, what resonates more clearly through this recording is a sense of Vasseur’s humanity. You might take it as a stretch that the tonal qualities of music express anything beyond exactly that, in a scientific sense. For a generation which has been raised on the graphic representation and manipulation of sine waves, that the conveyance of waves through space is the sum total of music’s form seems to be the all of it. That Vasseur has spent 15 years teaching musical theatre to children, adults, teenagers in custody and disabled children is also somewhat of evidence for the type point I am trying to make.

To say Poemes Saturniens displays the essence of a deep humanity is about the best description I could give you, beyond cataloguing the techniques of instrumental guitar he uses. If a comparison is in order, think Fripp with more improvisation, or Pat Metheny without the clichés.

Temporary Fault (Massimo Ricci)
A French musician who specializes on guitars with a larger number of strings than the norm, and in addition is technically adept on the Renaissance lute; in fact, he exclusively utilizes a 14-string archlute in Alam. These are separate releases but work better if listened consecutively, in order to have a handle on the overall vision of an artist definitely gifted with a consistently throbbing heart besides an irrefutable digital prowess. The lute album is inevitably oriented towards a classical language, but it doesn’t sound decayed or musty for a moment. One appreciates both the structure and the kindness of the pieces, and the composer’s ability to touch the right spots in the listener’s individual mood. Poèmes Saturniens is a good record as well, in which we perceive a slight veil of peripheral influence (Ralph Towner and Egberto Gismonti in particular, if only in short spurts) and lots of nascent suggestions that often remain not completely expressed yet they’re all the more fascinating for this very reason. It is interesting to note that Vasseur works, among other social classes, with disabled adults and children; the human responsiveness necessary for this kind of job indisputably transpires from his unpretentiously emotive music, which he occasionally emphasizes through murmured vocalizations.

smallfish.co.uk
Following up on the inaugural release on Humming Conch by Celer could well have been a tough proposition. Luckily, label owner Christian Roth knows a thing or two about releasing varied and often uncompromising works that are more down to his personal taste than any overarching direction for the label. I like that attitude it must be said, particularly when it allows such beautiful work as this to be releases. Christian Vasseur is a classical guitarist and although this isn’t an area I know a whole lot about, I can tell you that I’m a very large fan of artists like James Blackshaw and Takeshi Nishimoto and their solo guitar work. This quite exquisite series of works falls more into the classically classical, if you see what I mean, and whilst the beautiful, delicate and occasionally robust pieces are sometimes punctuated by more overtly experimental moments, the main theme here is of simple, effective clarity and feeling. If you have any love for the sound of the acoustic guitar I strongly recommend you investigate this glorious album immediately. Very beautiful indeed.