Album

Canadian trio Bataclan is certainly one of the most strangely constituted chamber music groups around; it's made up of bandoneon, bassoon, and harpsichord. But as Dandy, the group's second album, amply testifies, strangeness is not by any means necessarily a bad thing, and there's such of genius in this unique combination of timbres that it's hard not to ask: why didn't anyone think of this before? Especially in this repertoire of sultry tangos, waltzes, and cabaret-inspired music these instruments sound fabulous and absolutely natural together. There is nothing fancy or complex about the arrangements, and their straightforwardness is a big part of their charm. The spirits of Weill and/or Piazzolla hover over much of the music, most of which is simultaneously bittersweet, poignant, and light. About half of the album is devoted to original pieces by bassoonist Mathieu Lussier and bandoneon player Denis Plante, and they are successful in evoking the fin-de-siècle melancholy of the more traditional works. The ensemble, which also includes harpsichordist Catherine Perrin, plays with sly panache, top-notch musicianship, and they are obviously having the time of their lives. The sound is clean, immediate, and detailed.

© Stephen Eddins, Rovi

CD 1
Kurt Weill Composer Youkali, tango habañera Work Mathieu Lussier Bassoon, Catherine Perrin Clavecin, Denis Plante Bandoneon, Bataclan Ensemble
1	Youkali, tango habañera	4:17			$0.99
Carlos Gardél Composer Por Una Cabeza, tango for voice and chamber orchestra Work Mathieu Lussier Bassoon, Catherine Perrin Clavecin, Denis Plante Bandoneon, Bataclan Ensemble
2	Por Una Cabeza, tango for voice and chamber orchestra	2:30			$0.99
Jacob Gade Composer Jalousie, tango for orchestra Work Mathieu Lussier Bassoon, Catherine Perrin Clavecin, Denis Plante Bandoneon, Bataclan Ensemble
3	Jalousie, tango for orchestra	3:18			$0.99
Joseph Cosma Composer Les Feuilles Mortes, for ensemble Work Mathieu Lussier Bassoon, Catherine Perrin Clavecin, Denis Plante Bandoneon, Bataclan Ensemble
4	Les Feuilles Mortes, for ensemble	3:16			$0.99
Angel Villoldo Composer El esquinazo Work Mathieu Lussier Bassoon, Catherine Perrin Clavecin, Denis Plante Bandoneon, Bataclan Ensemble
5	El esquinazo	2:09			$0.99
Dmitri Shostakovich Composer Comic Waltz (arr. from 'The Baroness and the Hooligan') Work Mathieu Lussier Bassoon, Catherine Perrin Clavecin, Denis Plante Bandoneon, Bataclan Ensemble
6	Comic Waltz (arr. from 'The Baroness and the Hooligan')	3:35			$0.99
Denis Plante Composer Tales for Oscar Wilde, for ensemble Work 8:54 Mathieu Lussier Bassoon, Catherine Perrin Clavecin, Denis Plante Bandoneon, Bataclan Ensemble
7	1.The Nightingale and the Rose	2:58			$0.99
8	2.A Remarkable Rocket	2:50			$0.99
9	3.The Selfish Giant	3:06			$0.99
Zequinha de Abreu Composer Tico-Tico no Fubá,  for voice & ensemble Work Mathieu Lussier Bassoon, Catherine Perrin Clavecin, Denis Plante Bandoneon, Bataclan Ensemble
10	Tico-Tico no Fubá,  for voice & ensemble	2:57			$0.99
Mathieu Lussier Composer Suite Edward and Wallis, for ensemble Work 9:20 Mathieu Lussier Bassoon, Catherine Perrin Clavecin, Denis Plante Bandoneon, Bataclan Ensemble
11	1.The Fandango	3:41			$0.99
12	2.Abdication's romance	3:15			$0.99
13	3.Wallis' banjo song	2:24			$0.99
Kurt Weill Composer Die Dreigroschenoper (The Threepenny Opera; opera) Work Mathieu Lussier Bassoon, Catherine Perrin Clavecin, Denis Plante Bandoneon, Bataclan Ensemble
14	Zuhälterballade (Tango-Ballade), song for voice & piano (from "Die Dreigroschenoper")	3:07			$0.99
Madame Agnès Beïque-Demers Composer Happy Hours, gavotte for ensemble Work Mathieu Lussier Bassoon, Catherine Perrin Clavecin, Denis Plante Bandoneon, Bataclan Ensemble
15	Happy Hours, gavotte for ensemble	2:12			$0.99
Denis Plante Composer More Tales for Oscar Wilde, for ensemble Work 7:15 Mathieu Lussier Bassoon, Catherine Perrin Clavecin, Denis Plante Bandoneon, Bataclan Ensemble
16	1.The Devoted Friend	2:54			$0.99
17	2.The Happy Prince	4:21			$0.99
Denis Plante Composer Astorias, for ensemble Work Mathieu Lussier Bassoon, Catherine Perrin Clavecin, Denis Plante Bandoneon, Bataclan Ensemble
18	Astorias, for ensemble	2:57			$0.99