CD Review | Vagues et ombres (Alpha Classics, 2023)

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Vagues et ombres
Collectif9 : Chloé Chabanole, John Corban, Robert Margaryan, TJ Skinner, violins; Scott Chancey, Xavier Lepage-Brault, violas; Jérémie Cloutier, Andrea Stewart, cellos; Thibault Bertin-Maghit, double bass
Alpha Classics, 2023

Vagues et ombres is the third Collectif9 album. Following No Time for Chamber Music in 2021, Vagues et ombres is the second album released by Alpha Classics. It features a work specifically written for Collectif9 by Canadian American composer Luna Pearl Woolf, and many Debussy works arranged for nine string instruments by Thibault Bertin-Maghit, including La mer. The recording adventure began with this work originally written for full orchestra, said cellist Andrea Stewart and arranger/double-bass player Bertin-Maghit. “Because timbre and colour are of utmost importance in this kind of music, playing an iconic work such as La mer with only one family of instruments seemed outrageous. Come to think of it, we’re up to challenges. This is certainly a modern take on a traditional work.”

Collectif9 rose to the challenge with flying colours. Because the ensemble has enough players, each successfully re-enacted the air and changing movements of water waves, faithfully recapturing the Debussy spirit in La mer.

Luna Pearl Woolf’s Contact continues the water theme, telling the original submarine story of the beluga whale mother and her calf. It is crucial to read the liner notes to understand the artistic approach and enjoy the music more. Otherwise, the musical concept may be hard to grasp.

The first arrangements on the album enfold us with welcoming softness. The use of nine musicians is not perceivable on the album, as this number is greater than usual for this small-scale repertoire. Dynamics are not only mastered correctly but the wonderful audio recording also makes it possible to hear the smallest vibrations of each instrument. Intentional glissandos are of note in the arrangement of Debussy’s “Clair de lune.” Perhaps Bertin-Maghit was seeking a lulling effect, but this effect somewhat compromises the Suite bergamasque spirit to our ears.