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“If the whole electroacoustic thing seems a little too pointy-headed to you, this is the disc that’ll show you how wrong you are.”

Because I don’t have any sort of music-related academic qualifications (unlike some of my Splendid peers), I was a little bit nervous about reviewing something by a founding member of the Canadian Electroacoustic Community. Luckily, my fears about what to do if I didn’t like Volt were mooted by the fact that it’s a wonderful, dynamic album, full of motion and energy and thought and collisions of harmony and dischord that are enjoyable even if you’re not writing a dissertation about them.

Concerto pour piano MIDI mechanizes the classical concerto format, and features a human soloist attempting to keep pace with an electronic ‘performer’ not limited by human constraints like physical speed, finger length, and so on.

Originally published by Splendid E-Zine.Read the full review on Splendid E-Zine

17 other reviews

Circuit

“Alain Thibault Volt: Concerto pour piano MIDI, Jacques Drouin, piano; Le soleil et l’acier, Pauline Vaillancourt, soprano; OUT; ELVIS (Électro-lux, vertige illimité synthétique) Quatuor de saxophones de Montréal, arrangement de Walter Boudreau La réponse nord-américaine aux deux disques précédents, qui s’inscrivent plutôt dans la mouvance électrocacoustique européenne, est apportée par Volt, le di”

Vital Weekly

“It was a surprise to listen to Thibault’s cd. Whereas the music of the other cd’s was based on soundscape, on Volt we hear something quite different.”

Paris Transatlantic

“… really packs a punch. It positively pounds!”

Keyboard

“Alain Thibault: If the name doesn’t ring a bell, it should. Co-winner of Keyboards first Reader Tape Contest (Feb ’86), Thibault focuses on a more rhythmic ancl accessible, less haughty musical feeling.”

Online Digital Music Review

“One of a series of discs from Canada’s DIFFUSION i MéDIA, the organization behind the empreintes DIGITALes label. The basic thrust of the two recent series is the continued exploration of sound via electronics, and an effort to bring real electronic music into the present day.”

SOCAN — Canadian Composer

“Alain Thibault found his niche in contemporary music as others have in traditional classical music: That is to say, in a sincere and entirely natural way.”

SOCAN — Le Compositeur Canadien

“Alain Thibault est venu à la musique contemporaine comme d’autres parviennent à la musique classique tonale, c’est-à-dire naturellement.”

Musicworks

“A new compact-disc label called empreintes DIGITALes has come to the forefront of the “musique actuelle” scene in Quebec.”

Factsheet Five

“Flighty fast-paced instrumental pieces for MIDI-assisted piano. Thibault explores such territory as life in the future and the eight circuits of consciousness as outlined by Tim Leary.”

La Presse

“«Ça fait du bien de mettre ça à jour», lance Alain Thibault, compositeur électroacoustique. Bien qu’il n’eût pas encore endisqué depuis le début de sa carrière, son travail a toutefois été suivi par les médias.”

Montreal Mirror

“Think of the fun Mozart would have had with a harpsichord retrofitted with MIDI ports.”

Audion

“Radically different, and totally out-on-a-limb, this is a very surprising release indeed. A very complex melodic music, both stochastic and rhythmic, often jumping from one to the other.”

Crystal Infos

“Né à Québec en 1956, Alain Thibault a étudié la composition à la Faculté de musique de l’Université de Montréal. Il est lauréat du concours des jeunes compositeurs de Radio Canada en 1982, dans la catégorie électroacoustique.”

Blitz

“Volt, do compositor Alain Thibault, è um trabalho provocador no modo como mistura o Piano, o quarteto de sopros e as gravações.”

Les Cahiers de l’ACME

“Lauréat du concours de jeunes compositeurs de Radio-Canada en 82, il remporte le concours «Sound Page Competition» organisé par le magazine américain Keyboard en 86.”

L’attention

“Troisième de la série de productions électroacoustiques, Volt présente des pièces bien différentes de celles de Calon et Normandeau.”

MTL

“Rien de semblable avec Thibault. Ici, tout est plus direct. Tout tinte et clignote à la façon des flippers qui offriraient une succession de parties gratuites.”