Bach au marimba

Description

Alexandre Esperet, Nicolas Cousin and Paul Changarnier (a real orchestra of three!) are percussionists and play the marimba. Two and a half meters long, made up of strips of padauk or rosewood that get progressively shorter from left to right, on two levels, but also of metal resonators underneath, a bit like organ pipes, this instrument allows for harmony and melody. Very pure, its sound is warm and rounded, like the tips of the mallets that make it sing. In addition, the repertoire, already rich and varied, keeps growing, with composers of the 20th and 21st centuries (Darius Milhaud, Olivier Messiaen, Pierre Boulez, Steve Reich, Philippe Hersant.) inspired by this unusual piano. For the program presented this week, “Bach au marimba,” three years of work were needed: every rhythm, color and nuance is the result of passionate research. The gamble has paid off, because never has the Cantor’s music sounded like this!