Célimène Daudet had created a huge surprise and no less great emotion in 2021 with her disc Haiti my love revealing works by unknown Haitian composers, including the very remarkable “Black Chopin”, Ludovic Lamothe. The Salle Bourgie invited, on Wednesday, the Franco-Haitian pianist for a recital during which she will play her favorite pieces from this album.
“After the release of my disc, I strongly perceived a real interest both from the public and from the programmers for this repertoire. I wasn’t expecting it and I was pleasantly surprised to feel a movement for this music as such, but also for what it conveys as a story and as a subject. »
A concerto recreated in Paris
Immersed in the musical rediscovery of her roots, a reunion that owes a lot to the Society for Research and Dissemination of Haitian Music (SRDMH) based in Montreal, Célimène Daudet had already confided in the Duty in April 2021.
Two years later, she hasn’t given up on her quest and has even broadened it. “I continue to open myself up to other composers and to other works by composers that I have already met. Thanks to the SRDMH, she notably intensifies her knowledge of Ludovic Lamothe. “I was also interested in a work that I will play in three weeks at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris: a concerto by the Haitian composer Carmen Brouard (1909-2005), who lived in Montreal at the end of her life. and whose family is based in Montreal. »
Célimène Daudet describes this concerto as an “original work that integrates Haitian heritage in a language that is not post-romantic, but much more contemporary”. This concerto entitled Baron Lacroix refers to a voodoo deity. “It’s a new experience, since I’m coming out of the post-romantic period to tackle something closer to us. In this respect, I am also thinking of David Bontemps, some of whose works I have performed. It’s interesting that composers and performers continue to collaborate. I want to take an interest in composers closer to us. »
Perspective
Another lesson that Célimène Daudet title of the experience Haiti my love is the matter of perspective. “As an artist, I almost feel on a mission, in relation to my origins, to work on the rediscovery of these works by a wider audience. People are ready to open their ears to the fact that classical music is not exclusively reserved for Europe. This opens doors to important topics, including the issue of colonization and decolonization. What cultural encounters have been generated and what has come out of it artistically, and in particular musically? These things have been ignored for a long time, because we only present history, especially when we are on the side of the former settlers, from one point of view. So it’s fascinating to go through the music to decenter the subject a little. »
In Montreal, Célimène Daudet will present scores by the three major composers on her album, Justin Élie, Edmond Saintonge and Ludovic Lamothe. For the latter, she wanted to depict three aspects of her music: “Voodoo, in a room called Loco, imitating the drum present in voodoo ceremonies; the romantic affiliation, which explains his nickname “Black Chopin”; dance based on Afro-Cuban rhythms”.
In the second part, the pianist resisted playing Chopin: “I don’t necessarily find it very happy to encourage a comparison between the famous “Black Chopin” and Chopin himself. On the other hand, there is a sort of transition in the recital with two works by Scriabin, a Study influenced by Chopin, and Towards the flame, composition from the end of his life. »
Célimène Daudet sees in the language of the late Scriabin “a form of trance which has nothing to do with voodoo, but proceeds from the search for ultimate ecstasy”. Scriabin also opens up to a search for timbres that can be found in Debussy. “That’s why in the second part, I propose all the 2e Book of the Preludes of Debussy, like a sound journey, and as I am Franco-Haitian, I wanted to have a Haitian part and a part dedicated to a French composer. »