Continuo’s weblog

Apparently his 5th LP, Dominique Lawalrée‘s “Vis à Vis”, or Face to Face, published in 1979, is entirely played on a Bösendorfer grand piano, but instead of the brick and mortar barrage of fortissimos this kind of instrument is prone to (think Cecil Taylor, for instance), here it is used to enunciate semi-detached, tentative piano chords and to explore different shades of silence, so to speak.  In this respect, Vis à Vis is very close to Spanish composer Federico Mompou‘s piano cycle Musica Callada, or Silent Music (1959-67), itself a cornerstone of European minimalist music. Vis à Vis is a kind of update of Musica Callada, incorporating Lawalrée’s typical Belgian saudade and sublimely nostalgic mood. This music suits rainy days well, I find.

01 Bonjour Chez Vous ! (2:00)
02 Listen To The Quiet Voice (3:58)
03 Lost In Useless Territory (1:18)
04 Remember Those Quiet Evenings (7:04)
05 Personnages (2:55)
06 Morton A Fait Peur A Karlheinz (8:32)
07 Poissons Rouges, La Nuit…  (12:51)

Total time 38:40
LP released by Walrus, ref. WLS 006, Brussels, Belgium, 1979

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