"Après un rêve" is an album that holds a special significance to me on a personal level. It is an ode to the French Belle Époque repertoire, depicting the beauty of dreams and the night. The title is inspired by Fauré's mesmerising song, which I have arranged here for piano solo. I have always been drawn to the evocative and poetic nature of this music, as well as its remarkable diversity, finesse, and capacity to create exquisite orchestral textures on the piano.
This album is also a tribute to my grandfather, Jacques Charpentreau, a French poet who adored this repertoire and frequently drew inspiration from the night in his works.
I have curated some of his poetry, as well as works by other poets he admired to complement this music, taking the listener on an immersive poetic and musical journey through this nocturnal landscape:
Le piano dans la nuit
Écoute le piano
Comme une voix qui chante
Cette complainte lente
C'est la nuit qui descend
Sur la peine du monde
Caresse de l'espace
Quelques notes qui passent
Comme un souffle de l'air
Comme un soupir du feu
Comme un chant de la terre
Comme un frisson de l'eau
La grâce la douceur
Le battement d'un coeur
Écoute le piano
— Jacques Charpentreau