Ce Qu'il Nous Restera was recorded at the Insub studio in Geneva between September 14th and October 8th 2021. During that period in Switzerland access to indoor public spaces such as restaurants, bars, museums and fitness centres was only permitted with a valid Covid vaccination certificate. The album title translates as What Will Be Left of Us, which would have been a fitting sentiment to voice in the aftermath of the Covid lockdown. The aim of the album seems to have been to capture the zeitgeist of the period. To assist in that, Cyril Bondi recorded a series of brief observations from six artists — actors Rachel Gordy and David Marchetto, dancers Margaux Monetti and Sarah Waelchli, musicians Luc Müller and Bondi himself. The majority of their comments were in French, sometimes followed by their own translation in English. Of the comments, the most common are biographical, "I started dancing at five years of age", "I started music at age twelve" and so forth. Other than being able to recognise the speakers' voices, they are not identified in any way.
In another strand of the comments, the speakers give the title of a play or film or song, some in French, some in English. These answers may have been prompted by a question, but if so, we never get to hear it. The titles are all said without further comment — "Wind in the Sassafras Branches", "Suddenly Last Summer", "Far Away Places", "How Deep is the Ocean (How High is the Sky)", "Pleasure is all Mine", "Eyes Wide Shut" ... and seem to have nothing obvious linking them... The spaces between the comments are punctuated by percussion and other "noises off", probably emanating from Bondi and Mŭller, which offset the spoken comments well and prevent them being the only sounds heard. There is no immediately obvious connection between the spoken words and the sounds; for instance, "I started acting at eight years old. Portrait..." is immediately followed by repeatedly struck wooden sounds until the next comment appears...
The album's sleeve note says, "Ce Qu'il Nous Restera questions the life course of an artist, its starting point, daily routines and essence." While that may have been its intention, along the way something vital seems to have got lost; perhaps the artists felt more at ease naming their favourite films rather than examining their lives as artists... Nonetheless, the resulting thirty-five minutes are a good blend of spoken word and percussion, with the two complementing each other well enough to keep listeners engaged and entertained.
Comments and Feedback:
|
