Seven Reizh
Strinkadenn' Ys

This work is the first piece by the Seven Reizh, a Breton group founded by Claude Mignon (composer, guitar) and Gérard Le Dortz (author, voice), who worked for several years on a conceptual project about a stone cutter named Enora, capable of infusing life into the stones used to build cathedrals, and which tells her journey in the fantastic land of Ys. Eventually, Enora's story will also develop in the subsequent works: “Samsâra,” “La Barque Ailée,” and “L'Albatros.”, up to the last piece “la Barque Ailée et l'Albatros ...quand s'envolent les mots...” which reprises pieces from the last two albums to rearrange them and ideally closes the path started in 2001 with this work.

The two Bretons collaborate with talented musicians, most of whom come from the Breton group Kadwaladyr, also known as Kad, forming a respectable ensemble that does not shy away from using traditional instruments like biniou (a Breton bagpipe), bombarde, and flutes.

We can categorize their music within progressive rock, but there are multiple influences such as folk, Breton music, and not least North African music, although in my opinion, this will be felt more in the second chapter "Samsâra." Influences from progressive groups of the '70s like Camel, Genesis, Mike Oldfield, or Pink Floyd are not lacking, but thanks to their ability to mix sounds and styles, they manage to have their own personality.

In this work, besides the voice of Gerald Le Dortz, there are three other voices: the female voice of Bleunwenn Mevel already active in Kad and Tri Yann, Cyril Froger, and Farid Aït Siameur. The singing is in Breton, French, and Kabyle.

The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called music "the universal language of mankind," and Mignon and Le Dortz succeed in giving substance to this noble thought by immersing you in their music, rich in influences and meanings where barriers between peoples grow ever thinner, realizing that cultural exchange that breathes life into a fresh and fascinating work. Where musical roots intertwine and blend. For instance, it is said that Celtic origins date back to Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) and migrated to central Europe and then to Spain, France, Great Britain, and Ireland. And if this is really the case, such roots perfectly blend with the Kabyle of Farit Ait Sameur, uniting north and south.

I leave the final judgment to you, but the almost perfect harmony of all the styles, instruments, voices, and languages kept me glued to listening for almost 75 minutes of music.