Cheryl Duvall, Patrick Giguère: Intimes Exubérances

Toronto-based pianist Cheryl Duvall is one of Canada's leading interpreters of contemporary music. In 2011, she co-founded the chamber group Thin Edge New Music Collective (TENMC) along with the equally praise-worthy violinist Ilana Waniuk. Since then, they have commissioned over eighty works and collaborated with such renowned performers as Charlotte Mundy, Jason Sharp, and Ensemble Paramirabo—with whom TENMC recorded Raging Against the Machine (Redshift Music Society, 2017). TENMC also recorded the much-praised Dark Flower (Redshift Records, 2023), an album of Linda Catlin Smith compositions which appeared in more than a few end-of-year lists.

As well as recordings with TENMC, Duvall also performs solo on piano and has toured and performed throughout Canada, Japan, Europe, Argentina and the U.S.A. Intimes Exubérances is the second album of Duvall playing solo piano which has been released, the first having been Harbour (Redshift, 2020) on which Duvall played a selection of Anna Höstmann compositions, some written for Duvall, some commissioned for her (review: Anna Höstman, Cheryl Duvall: Harbour).

For Intimes Exubérances, Duvall played the title work which she had commissioned from Patrick Giguère, a musician and composer based in Montreal. He mostly writes music for acoustic instrument, from solos to orchestral works, but is increasingly interested in improvised musical practices and in making more and more space for collaboration within his creative process. It is his first substantial piece for solo piano. Recorded at Imagine Studio, Toronto, on 27th and 28th June 2023, the composition comprises four parts, each titled in French; their durations range from 12:06 to 18:10 minutes, 56:53 altogether.

As on Harbour Duvall's piano playing is flawless and instantly recognisable, even though Höstmann's and Giquère's styles are poles apart. It is evident that the creative process that led to the composition involved a lot of improvisation and contact with the piano; it gives the piece a distinctive feel. In Duvall's hands the composition displays a wide variety of moods, tempi and rhythms. some as a result of her improvisation rather than Giguère's score. As a whole, the album makes compelling listening, with Duvall and Giguère deserving equal praise for its success.