Jacaszek - Treny

L'album Treny, de Michal Jacaszek et de son groupe est une des plus jolies choses qui soient arrivées à l'ambient en ce premier semestre 2008. Ce compositeur polonais travaille essentiellement une base acoustique et vocale, tissant une ambient précieuse, néoclassique, où l'on trouve, dans une narration subtile et parfaitement ordonnancée, des chants quasi liturgiques émanant de temples lointains, de la harpe, des violons et violoncelles joués par Jacaszek lui-même et ses comparses : Maja Sieminska, Anja Smiszek-Wesolowska, avec des arrangements de cordes impeccables de Stefan Wesolowski. Pas de samples, juste une riche matière acoustique que Jacaszek retravaille en y ajoutant de fines granulations électroniques, créant une tonalité d'ensemble à la fois mélancolique, minimale et majestueuse. Les commentaires dithyrambiques que l'on trouve à son endroit sur de nombreux sites ne sont pas volés.




JACASZEK - author and producer of electroacoustic music, combinig electronically prepared sounds with acoustic instruments. "My music is an ambitious plan: I want to create my own, personal and recognizable musical language, in which electronic manipulation of recorded sound is going to enrich traditional acoustic instruments. The motivation of these experiments is discovering the hidden and universal beauty. DISCOGRAPHY/PROJECTS Jacaszek/Milka , "MAPA". (OFFMUSIC Rec 2001) Jacaszek "LEM konzept" Jacaszek "Lo-Fi Stories " (GUSSTAFF REC.2004) Jacaszek/Milka "SEQUEL" (GUSSTAFF Rec 2006). Wesolowski/Jacaszek "Kompleta" 2006 Jacaszek "TRENY" (MIASMAH/GUSSTAFF 2008) Boomkat review: Marsen Jules, Arvo Part, Zbigniew Preisner’s soundtrack work for Krzysztof Kieslowski, Deaf Center, Max Richter, Erik Satie, Alberto Iglesias - if you are familiar and in awe of any or all of these names then this latest album on the exceptional Miasmah label will no doubt end up on your essential listening pile for the foreseeable future. Jacaszek has managed with "Treny" to assemble an album so heart-stoppingly beautiful and personal that we’ve been stunned into silence for its entire 55 minute duration. With string arrangements provided courtesy of Stefan Wesolowski, the foundations of the album are set with Cello and Violin painting fragile outlines coloured by subtle electronic manipulations, harp, piano and reduced, haunting operatic voices. Unlike so many of his contemporaries, Michael Jacaszek doesn’t make use of any samples, with everything on the album assembled by the musicians on hand (notably Maja Sieminska, Anja Smiszek-Wesolowska and Wesolowski and Jcaszek themselves) - and the subtle grandeur of the album is almost impossible to take in over one sitting, even if the impact is absolutely immediate. This is the kind of album that you just cannot believe a bijou imprint like Miasmah is able to lay its hands on - such is the scale of its success that it feels like a hugely important piece of work, far outweighing almost anything else we’ve heard in the modern classical field these last eighteen months. Cinematic without ever feeling contrived, "Treny" is surely one of the most impressive, mystical and astonishing albums of the year.