| Jazz, Musique classique, Piano |
Pianist and composer Thélonius García has just released his debut album, an array of 16 original, short, and evocative pieces for solo piano written in 2023. “Marche Nocturne” is produced by Pierre Benoit (Studio 111 Productions), whom Thélonius met several years ago. Pierre Benoit has worked as a pianist, composer and musical director with many artists and his work has been recognized by numerous awards and nominations.
Thélonius has always been immersed in artistic creation in all its forms and has meticulously cultivated his unique artistic vision through countless solitary hours at the piano. Despite showcasing remarkable talent in classical piano during his conservatoire studies in France, Thélonius chose to follow a less conventional path. He then began his journey in jazz piano under the guidance of Claude Terranova at the Conservatoire d’Aubervilliers before venturing to Montreal in 2018.
Thélonius is rooted in the musical world of instrumental solo piano music and contemporary composers such as Nils Frahm, Hania Rani, Ryūichi Sakamoto and Max Richter. His love of these pianists colours his approach, rooted in his jazz training and origins. He aims to distinguish himself by bringing his own unique musical conception to bear on a peaceful, intercontinental, and multicultural approach, erasing established cultural, social, and human boundaries.
With his debut album “Marche Nocturne”, he seeks to evoke the depths of the human being, and a look at his history. He takes listeners into a world of dreams and imagination. A world expressed through a palette of colours, from the lightest to the darkest tones.
The solo piano has always been his home, the place where he is totally free and creative. Throughout his young career, he was strongly influenced by composers such as Alexander Scriabin, Claude Debussy, Gabriel Fauré, Robert Schumann and Frédéric Chopin, most of whom wrote for solo piano. During his studies in Piano Jazz Performance at McGill University, he discovered the world of modern pianists such as Thelonious Monk, Chick Corea, Paul Bley and Vijay Iyer, who inspired him to deepen his understanding of the possibilities of the solo piano and of a certain harmonic approach. This love of composition and instrumental music led him to write the short pieces for this project.
Let Thélonius explain to us in what state of mind he composed certain pieces:
‘Je veux vivre avec toi près de la rivière’ is an ode to nature and love. It’s the only piece on the forthcoming album to have text. I wrote this poem at the same time as the music, during a residency at Orford Musique in April 2023. The great Quebec actor Pierre Lebeau lent his voice to the poem.
‘Planètes Sœurs’ (sister planets) is about a child who sits, looks up at the stars and wonders if there’s another similar planet, a sister planet somewhere in space. It’s the idea that there must be someone on earth who looks like you. It’s our relationship with the world, and the humanity. It’s a light, a form of optimism.
‘Vestiges’ represents the things the sea leaves behind when the tide is out, the memories the ocean carries away, and the silence that settles between each musical note. It’s a cyclical piece for solo piano that could be repeated ad infinitum.
‘Marche Nocturne’ (Night Walk) is the eponymous piece on my forthcoming debut album. It’s a fleeting, uncapturable piece for solo piano that I wrote in the spring of 2023. This composition is an almost indescribable feeling, a mixture of nostalgia, sadness and happiness. Night walks are a moment of introspection that have always enabled me to take a step back from the events of the day and life in general.
Is it also a nod to Erik Satie, these titles of pieces composed and played by Thélonius García, such as for example ‘Planètes Soeurs’, ‘Histoires éphémères’, or ‘Le piano englouti’, ‘Les restes humains’ and ‘Poussières de vie’?
While listening to Thélonius one cannot help but see the shadows of Chopin, Debussy, Rachmaninov and a few other piano masters leaning over the keyboard of his piano and guiding the young man’s fingers on the ivories. Thélonius Garcia’s piano playing is insolently delicate and light. His playing style is airy and incredibly rich in sound, creating a unique, intimate world. The great flexibility in his interpretation produces numerous emotional nuances and allows us to share his intimacy, the depths of his soul.
Just like Chopin, Thélonius uses, when necessary, the ‘rubato’ technique, slowing down or speeding up the melody slightly depending on the atmosphere he wishes to give to the piece performed, which makes the melody more emotional.
His compositions translate visual or poetic impressions with unprecedented finesse. The notes are integrated into an expressive and very harmonious musical structure, without seeking the spectacular. Thélonius sublimes melody and intimate expression, combining virtuosity and lyricism in a romantic aesthetic. As Chopin or Debussy did it in their own way, Thélonius pushes the limits of the piano to make it an instrument capable of translating emotions and interior landscapes of incomparable richness.
The 16 compositions, all signed Thélonius Garcia, are proof that this young pianist is worthy of appearing alongside the great masters of the piano.
An album which, for a first album, is a monument.
Frankie Pfeiffer
Editor in chief – PARIS-MOVE
PARIS-MOVE, November 23rd 2024
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