Jacques Loussier Trio Jazzes Up Korea
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Jacques Loussier, the renowned jazz interpreter of classical music, showed the allure of classical modernity as he and his bass-drum trio jazzed up Bach in Korea.
The French artist visited Korea for the seventh time over the weekend, appearing at the biannual Tongyeong International Music Festival in South Gyeongsang Province, Saturday night and giving a concert in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday.
When The Korea Times met the 73-year-old pianist before his Sunday concert, he looked like he was ready to drop after a late-night performance in Tongyeong, delayed flight to Seoul and full rehearsal. Although he was ready to grab a quick nap before taking the stage, his eyes lit up as he spoke about his music.
``The concerts are enervating but it's also a source of energy. When the audience joins us to hear the music, they give us an incredible energy,'' he said, speaking in his native French language.
``The Korean audience is always very enthusiastic and very young. They have an extraordinary energy and their reaction is very strong, stronger than that of other countries. There is great interest for music here. There are so many Korean musicians in Europe. I think Korea surpasses Japan (in numbers),'' he said.
``When I was young I used to perform about 100 times a year. Now it's down to just 50,'' said the artist, who is no stranger to travel. Born in Angers, France in 1934, he followed the classic route of a pianist at the National Conservatory of Music in Paris. He would voyage across Latin American, Cuba and the Middle East, expanding his horizons.
But it was upon hearing an American orchestra during the war-struck 1940s that he ``fell in love'' with jazz. ``I loved it and I tried playing it right away. I knew the language of jazz, but there were so many excellent jazz artists. I wanted to do something else with my music,'' he said.
He began jazzing up pieces by Bach, among which his version of the Goldberg Variations is particularly famous. Ever since, he has interpreted the music of Vivaldi, Ravel, Debussy and Chopin, among others. In 1959 he formed the Play Bach Trio with himself as pianist, Pierre Michelot as bassist and Christian Garros as percussionist. The group made dozens of recordings and toured extensively until breaking up in 1978.
He went on to set up his own recording studio in Provence and worked with music icons such as Pink Floyd, Elton John and Sting.
His secrets for crossing jazz and classics? ``One should know the music well, and know what one can take from each composer like Bach and what theme I can push forth to create something new. I get inspired by the music but then I manifest my own visions,'' he said. As for jazz, he said he was inspired by jazz pianists like John Lewis from the Modern Jazz Quartet.
Loussier came to town with his emblematic Bach repertoire, joined by bassist Benoit Dunoyer de Segonzac and drummer Andre Arpino. The elderly pianist's tunes, clear like the drops of rain, perfectly complemented the showery spring afternoon.
For the choral ``Wachet auf die Stimme,'' the bassist improvised an electric solo while the drummer gave a mesmerizing, almost meditative improvisation during the first movement of the Concerto in d minor.
The trio kept the music ``classic'' yet ``alive.''
Explosive applause followed each movement and act, and after a couple of curtain calls the trio gave a beautiful encore performance. A standing ovation followed. The afternoon came to a close as the musicians met fans in an autograph session.
Loussier's secret to staying young? ``Music is my reason for living,'' he said, with a smile.