Catherine Gucher

Ce CD est exceptionnel. Toutes les chansons sont bonnes. Il y a un équilibre parfait entre le texte la mélodie les arrangements et la musique, ce CD est digne des plus grands de l'histoire de la musique québécoise. C'est du folk country rock atmosphérique achevé, fignolé, parsemé de violon cor français et hautbois. La voix particulière de Catherine Durant si douce et juste se marie si bien avec la musique qu'elle a crée. Ce CD n'est pas très radio FM, au printemps 2009 elle fera la première partie de Francis Cabrel lors de sa tournée québécoise, peut-être celà lui ouvriera les portes d'un large publique. C'est à souhaiter.

Unanimously acclaimed by her peers, the music-loving public and the press, French pianist Catherine Collard (1947-1993) died far too soon. The memories of her concerts, master classes and generosity are still very much alive today. The recordings made for Erato and EMI gathered here bear witness to her exceptional talent.

During the 70's, Catherine Ribeiro & Alpes recorded a string of stunning and successful albums, gathering a few plaudits and yearly awards from specialized press, played throughout Europe and even in Latin America and Northern Africa and are now seen as an iconic group of the hippy 70's in France. Their music is rather experimental and hard to define and involves folk, progressive and improvisation. Their use of seldom-seen percuphone and cosmophone (both alpine instruments), their lengthy Poème Non-Epique pieces, Ribeiro's anarchist avant-garde and ecologist lyrics and doomed atmosphere (there is some VdGG feel in their music) made this group a very distinct and very original group that has their own sound. In a similar vocal style to Brigitte Fontaine, Catherine Ribeiro's low voice tone may also evoke Nico at times and is theatrical and declamatory.