Musicography
ON THE SUBJECT OF EMOTIONS...
His music is not appreciated by those who are initially looking for avant-garde, experimental or 'new age' music. Nevertheless it attracts the admiration of quite a large public - often amateurs who are very sensitive to beautiful sounds and melodies.
The music of Bertrand Loreau is sometimes compared with that of Vangelis, Joël Fagerman, Enya, Mike Oldfield and others. It is composed of intimate feelings - those which come from inside us -as in "Tchau Téo" or "Cançao para Tidinha" or even "A son is Born".
WITHOUT WORDS... ONLY MUSIC
It's difficult for him to talk about this, precisely, because music is his means of expression. "To put down what cannot be said with words".
Often faced with the comments of others, he makes us understand that :
""explaining his music is unseemly and that depends on the level of sincerity with which one works, that is why I distrust artists who talk a lot. Is there anything left in their music ?. They have already said it all ! To speak is also to guide, to impose... almost a lack of respect for the listener. I compose things which are a reflection of my soul at a given point in time and there are those who would like to control that. I perceive this as a lack of respect towards what I am most profoundly".
To explain, however, I cried whilst composing some pieces. I will always remember when I composed the piece "La chaise vide" (An Empty Chair) from the album "Sur le chemin" (On the Road). It was practically like an improvisation because I didn't have to think - things happened automatically in complete spontaneity. I was embarrassed by the tears which fell onto the keyboard and computer mouse.
So it's difficult to say when things should only be perceived as an emotion, because I don't believe one can explain to people how they should feel an emotion. The only thing which I always insist upon is to really listen to what I am seriously doing because I claim to compose things which are in the domain of subtlety."
THE WORDS MOT OF THE PSYCHOTHERAPIST
Dominique Roux (author of the book "Klaus Schulze, un saut dans l'inconnu") asserts that "Bertrand Loreau is not a composer of relaxation music. His compositions are not inscribed in this project, but they exhale an eminently soothing atmosphere.
Throughout his discography Bertrand has scattered his albums with small musical pieces full of a suave communicative serenity. They differentiate themselves from the usual so-called "pacifying relaxation music" by their melodic and harmonic qualities and their messages of tenderness and sweetness which are the signature of this composer. They provoke a feeling of peace and serenity in the listener, conditions which are essential to establish a state of relaxation".
AND TECHNICALLY ?
Throughout the past 20 years, Bertrand has used numerous synthesisers, sequencers, computers, mixing desks and special effects.
At the beginning of the 1980s he made extensive use of the Korg MS20 associated with the analogue sequencer SQ10. In 1993, on the advice of Jean-Christophe Allier, the legendary Polymoog became his instrument of choice for several years - a characteristic reflection of the era of his interest in Klaus Schulze. In 1985, the DX7 - with the FM synthesis technology - gave material to his passion for researching sound, permitting him to create very personal sounds on this revolutionary instrument perfectly adapted to the more melodic direction which his music was taking.
Musical technology accompanied Bertrand first of all with the Yamaha CX5M during the 80s (the first widely used computer dedicated to music) and then the Atari 1040 STF (a computer constructed in series with the midi ports on the mother board). The 90s were characterised by the arrival of samplers - the Roland S550 followed the Akai S3000XL.
Not really being interested in software which creates loops which then spread throughout the market place, Bertrand has freely developed more and more music in which the dominating essentials are spontaneity and melody.
