November 2013
Outre-mémoire est une œuvre forte, dramatique mais sans pathos, sans violence extérieure prégnante. (...)
La notion de mémoire qui me touche beaucoup, et là, de même, sans revendication particulière, juste comme une évocation. (...)
Outre-mémoire est une œuvre forte, dramatique mais sans pathos, sans violence extérieure prégnante. (...)
La notion de mémoire qui me touche beaucoup, et là, de même, sans revendication particulière, juste comme une évocation. (...)
The sombre beauty of Outre-mémoire comes as much from allusions to afro-Cuban as from the distanced narration of the composer.
Pécou invents his own rite, as powerful by its organic violence as by the melodic bitterness which infuses his work.
But the main goal of Outre-mémoire is probably to make one feel the ‘démesure’, or the enormous, industrial size of the slave trade...
Outre-mémoire (...) ventures into a musical exploration of the slave trade... The concert begins before the musicians of Ensemble Variances have even assumed their position. They move throughout the space, and sounds emanate from everywhere... time and again, rhythm remains the driving force.
Sound of the slave trade - The way the composer refers to Caribbean music and jazz - not by simply quoting it but always remaining true to Thierry Pécou - makes Outre-mémoire a fascinating piece!
Outre-mémoire is a deeply moving work and performed by brilliant musicians!
Outre-mémoire is thus a work that is intensely personal and yet universal for invoking fundamental and still timely questions about wealth and poverty, exploitation and oppression.