Chanson: Keren Ann & Quatuor Debussy
Hamburg International Music Festival
Classicism with electric guitar
Strings have never been out of place in the arrangements of singer-songwriter Keren Ann. The French chansonnière used orchestral timbres on her first album »La biographie de Luka Philipsen« (2000). Twenty years into a career that began with French-language songs and a collaboration with Benjamin Biolay, Keren Ann now conducts something of a retrospective – and that with a string quartet.
On their latest album, released in 2022, Quatuor Debussy present ten excellent arrangements of Keren Ann’s songs, from her first (and biggest) hit »Jardin d’hiver« to newer songs in English. The four string players add far more than sumptuous colouring; their music infuses the songs with a distinct texture.
Apart from that, the unusual and gifted singer relies entirely on her clear, elegiac voice. She also plays the acoustic guitar and often uses the electric guitar and a wonderful tremolo to great atmospheric effect. Its sound provides a soft, soothing contrast to the sophisticated classicism of the rest of the timbre. There is now an opportunity to discover how well that works live in Keren Ann’s concert with Quatuor Debussy in the Elbphilharmonie Recital Hall as part of the Hamburg International Music Festival, which features a spotlight on the new French chanson scene for the first time this year.
Performers
Keren Ann vocals
Quatuor Debussy
Christophe Collette violin
Emmanuel Bernard violin
Vincent Deprecq viola
Cédric Conchon violoncello
Festival
Hamburg International Music Festival
Spotlight
Chanson