A recent release from the ever-prolific Joane Hétu , the work Musique d’hiver (winter music) pays tribute to the frisky Nordic winds, the blinding luminosity of winter, the February moon, and the craziness of March, in order to communicate the emotional effervescence of winter.

A 60-minute piece in four scenes (La chute, On se les gèle, Lumière de février, J’ai perdu le nord), Musique d’hiver is arranged for acoustic instruments — piano, voice, flutes, alto sax, accordion, percussion — and electric instruments — synthesizer, sampler, and tape manipulation.

It is an invitation to a music ritual for a season of frost and high winds; nakedness, white light, slowness, silence, white noise. A meditative piece, spatially textured, high-pitched, minimalist in words but rich in sonorities blending composition (themes, harmonic structures, shapes) and improvisation (ambient sounds, sound textures, free interpretation), all delivered in a sober, elegant atmosphere.

You will be charmed by the freshness of this winter poetry and by this picturesque scene highlighted by acoustic and metaphorical sonorities.

1-4. la chute

5-10. on s’les gèle

11-14. lumière de février

15-18. perdu l’nord