Amaury Faye: Arise (Suite)

As they say, better than mountains is only the mountain that you have not climbed yet. Amaury Faye, a promising pianist from France, reaches new heights in his 2023 album Arise. It is an instrumental suite inspired by mountains. Arise has a vast range to offer to its listeners, from quiet valleys to extreme peaks.

Arise showcases the multiple talents of Faye as a pianist and composer. This album can easily become a soundtrack to a film as all the pieces are undoubtedly cinematic and seem to have a story behind each of them. Faye creates contrasting textures and unfolds a full spectrum of expressiveness.

Some sections of the suite are full of a sense of nostalgia and longing, such as "Under the Ground (Part 1)." At the same time, Faye can be wild and adventurous, like in "Free Ride." He plays with a vast spectrum of textures: there are some groovy rhythmic patterns, like in "Stone Heart" and "Uprising;" some folk-like melodies, for instance, in "Blossom;" some gentle dancing vibes, such as in "Under the Ground (Part 2)." One can imagine sceneries to accompany the album: "La Meije" can evoke imagery of a mountainous valley in pastel tones, while the opening of "La Sambuy" reminds of a thunderstorm.

In Arise, Faye becomes more of a storyteller and creates a narrative that compels attention from the beginning to the end. Unafraid to blend different styles and genres, Faye brings together a more "classical" sound with the string quartet of Audrey Dupont (violin), Aurélie Fauthous (violin), Carlos Vizcaíno Gijón (alto) and Nabi Cabestany (cello), and contemporary jazz style with the quartet of Julian Lee (tenor saxophone), Louis Navarro (double bass), Théo Lanau (drums).

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