Featured      Archived      Forum

Student Life

FEATURED ARTICLES           Thursday, September 09, 2010                                Email to a Friend

Review: Yann Tierson

Adam Kveton

Last updated: Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

French musician and composer Yann Tiersen performed at Richards on Richards in Vancouver to a packed house. Known for his European classical and French folk stylings, Tiersen did not give his audience what they expected with the punk-rock renditions of his award-winning songs he and his band were strumming.

Tiersen arrived on stage with a classic rock ensemble and accompanying back-up singer and odd-job musician who played the toy guitar, sang and rocked the ondes martenot.

Tiersen’s choice of instruments remains varied and odd at times. This latest performance included two violins, several melodicas, also known as blow organs, and the infamous ondes martenot, a kind of organ that produces eerie, wavering notes.

Tiersen occupied himself with two violins and a beautiful, white jaguar guitar whose notes pierced the souls, and at times the eardrums, of the audience. He addressed the crowd several times only to say “Thank you,” wearing a cheeky grin on his face, every time receiving much applause.

With eyes clenched shut and eyebrows dancing, Tiersen and his band showed a great passion for their music, as the audience at times had trouble tapping in.

Tiersen gained international fame for the soundtrack to the film Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amelie Poulain, but his performance on the 27th hints at a deeper passion for the punk-rock scene.

In a 2002 interview by Michael Hubbard, Tiersen reflects on punk rockers and their music, saying “It is very instinctive. They played music without care for technique and gleaned pleasure from it.”

Tiersen’s group, however, lacked little in technique, taking the audience through a humming amusement park of sound and pitch-perfect vocals.

This French musician managed to bring out Vancouver’s young francophone community and gave them a show they could rock out to. Although the genre-jumping provoked a confused response at times, Tiersen’s understanding of his music remains the same.

“It is not my job to define my music,” he says. “To keep the enthusiasm for creating, an artist should not care about genres.”

For upcoming events at Richards on Richards, check out www.richardsonrichards.com.

Home    Contact Us    About Us    On Stands Now    Events & Calendar    Forum

Copyright © 2008 Campus Life Magazine. All rights reserved. All trademarks are properties of their respective owners. Reproduction of material from any original Campuslifemagazine.ca pages without written permission is strictly prohibited.