French musician Lise Barkas here with an impressive solo cassette Cinq Points (INSUB.RECORD k705) – she plays the hurdy-gurdy on side A, and the bagpipes on side B. Her mastery of these instruments has already been manifested on the 2022 record Compressibilités which she made with Jean-Baptiste Geoffroy.
Very good to hear these somewhat unusual instruments deployed in an experimental context. Barkas has learned and drawn inspiration from her collaborative work, sometimes in a free improvisation mode, and whatever sparks may currently be flying in the musical arenas of Strasbourg. She’s also inspired, this time around, by folk and traditional music, and the hurdy-gurdy side of the cassette cites songs by Alice Prieur; the French lacemaker Virginie Granouillet, who was a custodian of folk songs in the Haute-Loire and earned the name of “La Baracande”; and the Cajun singer Blind Uncle Gaspard, about whom little is known, and very few recordings of his are extant. I am impressed by Barkas’ choices here and I imagine that a rewarding conversation could be held with her about the importance of protecting the flickering candle-flame of folk music and keeping it burning. I say this because the sound of her hurdy-gurdy playing is so lonely and attenuated, seemingly stressing the fragility of her obscure sources, but also the fragility of life itself.
The bagpipe side doesn’t draw on folk music, but does name two people (Bernard Jacquemin and Sean Jones) who I assume are contemporary pipers themselves, and may have built or lent her the musette with 20 pouches and hümmelchen for these pieces. (At any rate they both show up in the bagpipe society database.) With her concern for authenticity and honouring the lineage and culture of these ancient instruments, the actions of Lise Barkas are not too far apart from what Rhodri Davies is doing for the Welsh harp. A fine release of beautiful music – sadly the cassette version is sold out now. (04/10/2024)