Yann Tiersen

Yann Tiersen

Discography

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Yann Tiersen has sold hundreds of thousands of records worlds wide and even more soundtracks. Since 2009 he has been focused on playing live, with 270 shows spread over three world tours, which touched every continent.  This Autumn Tiersen returns home and is releasing four beautifully re-mastered editions of his first four albums; La Valse Des Monstres (1995), Rue Des Cascades (1996), Le Phare (1998) et (Tout Est Calme 1999).

With his whimsical, melancholy music, Yann Tiersen has become a sought-after composer, not only for his soundtrack work, but in his own right. Borrowing from French folk music, chanson, musette waltz and street music, as well as rock, avant-garde, and classical and minimalist influences, Tiersen's deceptively simple style has been likened to Chopin, Erik Satie, Philip Glass, and Michael Nyman.

Tiersen became popular outside his native country for his score to Jean-Pierre Jeunet's film Amélie, but this was no over night successes.  He had been working for years before the film's success brought him international acclaim. Born in Brest in Brittany, on June 23, 1970, Tiersen was raised in Rennes and made a name for himself as one of the star pupils at his local conservatory. Tiersen studied violin and piano from the ages of six to fourteen, and eventually trained to be a conductor. However, Tiersen rebelled against his classical training and, inspired by the likes of Joy Division and the Stooges, played guitar with several local post-punk-influenced bands during his later teenage years.

At the same time, Tiersen was also composing soundtracks for short films and accompaniment for plays. Several of these pieces ended up on his first album, Valse des Monstres, in 1995 and introduced his delicate but deeply emotional style, and which also featured intricate arrangements incorporating instruments as varied as toy piano, banjo, harpsichord, melodica, and carillon, as well as piano and guitar.

If Valse des Monstres and its follow-up, 1996's Rue Des Cascades, were intial slow burners Tiersen’s third album, 1998's La Phare, met a different fate; its single, "Monochrome," which was sung by French pop star Dominique A., was a radio hit and propelled the album, and Tiersen, to mainstream success in France. As Tiersen's acclaim grew, so did the scope of his records. That year's Black Sessions -- a live album of a radio performance -- featured collaborations with Dominique A. and the Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon, as well bands like Les Têtes Raides and the Married Monk, who also appeared on 1999's more the rock-oriented album Tout Est Calme.

Soon after, Tiersen was preparing his next album when he was contacted by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who wanted Tiersen to score his next movie, Amélie.  Jeunet had heard Tiersen's music while driving and had been so taken with it that he bought all of Tiersen's albums.  His Amelie score featured new and old compositions, and the film's success spun off to Tiersen's music.
 

Press

Press quotes

LA VALSE DES MONSTRES

''La Valse des Monstres: rare are so complete discs and rare are also artists in control of their speeches. This disc is marked by originality and maturity. (Vitriol)

RUE DES CASCADES

''This 20 tracks disc succeeded the paradox in being at the same time subjected to several influences and a significant homogeneity'' (Nouvelle vague)
''One year after the release of ”La Valse des Monstres” he continues his melodic and musical territories exploration called minimalist with Rue des Cascades that surprises again so his music spreads'' (Chronik CD)
''Yann Tersen is a composer on whom people will have to count in France and abroad. Rue des Cascades is an unaccomplished work because the artiste seems to have unlimited in terms of art'' (Reg'Art)
''His compositions have been used for movies and theater plays however you can easily listen to them all alone'' (Télérama)
''Our dreams moved, now they live Rue des Cascades'' (Télérama)
''Yann Tiersen is one of the classics who feel comfortable with the moderns, rockers, classics...''(Blah blah)
''The simplicity made this very tenderly album sublime'' (Rock style)
''If Yann Tiersen continues to forge ahead, I am ready to bet that we will see his music soon on the TV (Revue & corrigée Janvier)
''The artist masters so well his art that people could wrongly think that Rue des Cascades is the work of many artists'' (Revue et corrigée)
''After his first album Valse des Monstres (…) Rue des Cascades offers a continuously and beautiful music'' (Les Inrockuptibles)
''Rennes put forwards'' (Télérama)

TOUT EST CALME

''Yann Tiersen goes tactfully and with skill on his way'' (La Presse Manche)
''Talented musician, Yann Tiersen has once again collaborated with the best on this album, we find Christian Quermalet from The Married monk, Claire Pichet with her soft voice or the musician of Miossec, Olivier Mellano'' (L'Yonne républicaine)
''Tout est calme brings a huge pleasure'' (La Marseillaise)
''Yann Tiersen is undeniably someone, an esthetic poet' ' (Guitar part)
''Just Close your eyes and listen to “Tout est calme”! Yann Tiersen's maritime universe will invigorate your body and your mind like the spray of a virgin sea'' (Music)
''More focused on songs and a rock format, Tout est calme keeps the sensitivity that characterizes Yann Tiersen's music'' (Libération Champagne)
''Tiersen is talented'' (La Provence)

LE PHARE

''Talented author and composer, Tiersen draws his creative energy from the ocean expanse of his region: la Bretagne'' (Le Parisien)
''The first charm of this music is to avoid the similarity with the others one, just like its author'' (Télérama)
''If Tiersen's music is inspired by the fold, it is opened to every one who knows the musical language'' (Télérama)
''Shared between the earth and the sea with some mysterious words and a distant music, Tiersen is among the foremost artists of the year'' (Télérama)
''Le Phare is like a personal diary where the memories of a life made up by travels and daydreams are getting muddled'' (Figaro Magazine)
''Le Phare is an album that gets into you without informing you'' (Chroniques)
''Le Phare has established itself as one of the most important moments of the Transmusicales of Rennes'' (Ouest France)

LIVE REPORTS

'' (…) Present to take a quick look at the his performance, we all stayed because the moment was unique'' (Ouest France Concert des folies Rennaise)
''It is not a surprise his music has been used as a music film as for “La vie rêvée des anges'' (Concert au Quartz, Le télégramme)
''Yann Tiersen excels in a certain instrumental music, his style is neither pop rock nor neo-classic, but goes beyond genres and labels'' (Théâtre Geoffroy Martel, Sud Ouest)
''The young composer won over the audience of the third music festival of Brest'' (Presse Ocean)
''Yann Tiersen generates emotions by creating music stories with a great sense of composition and a good master of several and unusual instruments'' (Concert au Zénith de Caen, Ouest France)
''Young prodigy, Tiersen is able to play with all kind of instruments'' (Le Berry Républicain)
''Following the example of his concerts, he creates a very personal dimension thanks to a subtle use of several instruments'' (Ciné concerts kid)
''His musics look like him, beautiful like the drawings of a little bit timid but very talented child''(Ouest France)
''On this Friday, angels flew over the church located in the “Vieux Saint Etienne”. Tiersen was without any doubt the revelation of this festival'' (Musique musique)
''Far from being a simple performance, this concert made known the talent of a musician combining sensitivity and virtuoso'' (Transmusicales de Rennes, Brèves de concerts)


  

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