Désert was born in Joshua Tree, California as a series of improvisations between harpist Lara Somogyi and pianist-composer Jean-Michel Blais. Personifying the cover photo, the album reminds listeners that there is life in the desert, springing from the hardscrabble ground. The timing of the release is serendipitous, as it arrives five days before Lent, a season of sacrifice remembering Jesus’ 40-day journey into the desert and the strength gained through spareness.
The music is intensely calming, and even without the religious association would sound spiritual in nature. Track titles such as “révérence” and “refuge” cement the association. The subject of first single “escaliers” (“stairs”) recalls the hymn “Jacob’s Ladder”, and it’s hard to ignore the fact that the album ends with an “ascension.” But one need not ascribe to any particular faith to be transformed, or to find rest in these meditations. “escaliers” suggests quiet aspiration, each piano note like one of those stairs. The alternate translation of “ladder” in Genesis is “stairway.”
The two artists have a natural sonic chemistry. Together, Somogyi and Blais are like air and earth, and their music flows like a desert spring. The harp – long considered the instrument of angels – finds its grounding in the piano. These pieces may bring solace, calm or inner peace. Even when “cavernes” connotes a light urgency, “refuge” slows the tempo and soothes the heart. The flow of the album is exquisite, coming across as an uninterrupted suite, a mini-concert for the mind.
The final pairing of “dusk” and “ascension” summarizes all that has gone before. “dusk” is slow and deliberate, suggesting the pace of life in the desert and the perception of spiritual darkness. “ascension”, by far the album’s longest piece, suggests the miracle of life, the Joshua tree in the desert, the resurrection of the spirit and the life to come. These artists may not have set out to make music for Lent, but they’ve provided it all the same. (Richard Allen)
Available here