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PRESENTATION

‘We wanted to make an intimate, soothing, relaxing album of American standards and French songs – an album that suited our style, our tastes, our frame of reference, and above all our language as classical musicians… A sort of superposition of two different worlds,’ explains clarinettist Pierre Génisson, who teamed up with pianist Bruno Fontaine to produce Songbook. The album includes songs by Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Rodgers and Hart, Charles Aznavour, Michel Legrand, Charles Trenet and Serge Gainsbourg. Alongside Génisson and Fontaine are drummer Fabrice Moreau, bassist Benoit Dunoyer de Segonzac and five guests from different backgrounds and genres: Monica Bellucci, Youn Sun Nah, Kimberose and Lambert Wilson, as well as guitarist Thibaut Garcia, who, like Pierre Génisson, is an Erato artist.

Pierre Génisson, one of the greatest interpreters of his instrument, trained in Paris and Los Angeles, so the transatlantic musical spirit is second nature to him. Bruno Fontaine – who, like Génisson, is an alumnus of the Paris Conservatoire – inhabits both the classical and jazz spheres as an instrumentalist, conductor, arranger and composer. The two musicians first collaborated in 2017, when Génisson (whose repertoire spans classical, contemporary, jazz, folk and klezmer) was working on a project inspired by the great American clarinettist Benny Goodman, the ‘king of swing’ who also premiered works by composers such as Bartók, Stravinsky, Poulenc, Copland and Bernstein. As Génisson explains: ‘During our many tours, I noticed that Bruno and I had a penchant for iconic American songs, and for artists like Aretha Franklin, Chet Baker, Miles Davis or Frank Sinatra, artists who, with just a few notes, can create an immediate sense of intimacy…’. What could be more soothing than a familiar melody whispered in the ear, like a personal message?

A multicultural group of guests makes a vital contribution to Songbook: Italian actress Monica Bellucci, Anglo-French singer-songwriter Kimberose, Korean jazz specialist Young Sun Nah and French-born, British-trained actor Lambert Wilson. What was important for us,’ continues Génisson, ’was to establish a close collaboration with artists who have a unique vocal signature and who are capable of creating a unique sound.
with a unique vocal signature, capable of touching the heart in a gentle and simple way, with a whisper or even a breath. Génisson sums up Songbook as follows: ‘What we want to do is offer a new and different interpretation of songs that everyone knows and sings to themselves… the kind of album you’d like to have with you when you’re reading a good book in front of a roaring fire’.

BOOKING

Sophie Hossenlopp
sophie.hossenlopp@visiteursdusoir.com

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