Les Fragments De La Nuit
Musique Du Crépuscule

Why not take a moment to pause and wander alone in twilight and delicate landscapes? Why not immerse yourself in dreamy paintings of intense beauty? Why not lend an ear to the incessant pleas of the soul seeking an elixir to gain a moment of respite from the heavy boulders of life? Well, if you desire all this, try these "Fragments of the Night."

Les Fragments de la Nuit are primarily a French duo formed by Michel Villar (pianist) and Ombeline Chardes (violinist), authors of several film soundtracks, and now, after officially forming this entity in 2005 and recruiting three other instrumentalists (two violinists and a cellist), creators of this first work titled "Musique du Crépuscule" and released in the summer of 2008.

The album is a collection of 16 tracks, all very brief; very few reach or exceed 3 minutes and almost all are instrumental. These pieces are the small brushstrokes that form a poignant, nocturnal, and elegant painting. The quintet's offering is a finely crafted neoclassical music, sometimes extremely delicate (the short opener "Eveil des Fées," with a splendid female voice leading dreamy melodic lines; "La Chambre des Fées," almost exclusively vocal), sometimes more sustained and "disruptive" ("Assault," "Entre Ciel et Fer"), and other times everything is shrouded in a veil of mystery ("Solarisation," "La Mélodie de la Tête," "Le Château Enchanté") or sublimated in a sense of ethereal lightness ("Alpha Du Centaure," "Soleils Noirs Pour Lune Blanche").

It's impossible to choose some tracks as the best, since it all flows almost as a single movement, though there are notable differences in sensations between the various songs, as previously mentioned. The brevity of the compositions must be an "inheritance" from the activity of soundtrack writing, where compositions are meant to serve as a backdrop or accentuate certain emotions; here the music is not a "background," but it creates one: it generates those visions in which our mind moves, levitates, sways, and shakes.

The classical component is very strong, so we cannot talk about an album of ethereal music (like that of Narsilion or the ladies of Artésia, where an arcane and 'fantasy' air reigns), but rather of an album of classical music reinterpreted, "updated" and "contaminated" by different feelings. The variety and brevity of the tracks make the album lighter, even for listeners less accustomed to such sounds. The cover artwork is also splendid, featuring a moon protagonist in a clear night sky. The Moon, Queen of the Night and Muse of dreamers.

In conclusion, "Musique du Crépuscule" is an album highly recommended from the heart. Maybe it won't be listened to continuously, but I swear it will know how to answer those needs that the soul sometimes demands.