Put out on the circuit via the ensembles very own Collection QB label on June 27th, 2k25 is Songs And Quartets, the second full on collaborational release between the famed string quartet that is Quatuor Bozzini and Vancouver-based composer Owen Underhill. Opening with The Retreat which is, given its total runtime if nearly 14 minutes, a little more than just a ’song’ we’re drawn into a fascinating grey area sitting right in between Contemporary Opera, score works and an overall vintage feel on par with classic golden age Broadway performances, pairing ethereal vocal performance with a perfectly balanced string dramaturgy ranging from calm and floating harmonic form to short dramatic outbursts and enchanted playfulness whereas the four sections of Northern Line — Angel Station (String Quartet No. 2) speak a deeply caressing and emotionally connected sonic language, relying on mostly sustained, stripped down yet lush and somewhat melancholic string arrangements for the most part despite a few slighty deliberately off-kilter peaks to be found in Adagio calmato, Animato. With the second 10 minute+ ’song’ named What is Our Life? things are getting more lively in a Contemporary Classical vein, with the almost 11 minutes spanning piece covering an entire ark of(e) motions before the final String Quartet No. 5 — Land And Water rounds things off with an array of dramatically beautiful string works in parts evoking memories of alpine mountain ranges, unscathed rural forests and simpler, yet not less happy times with the Holy Isle even presenting some rather danceable, albeit festive sections. Quite a lovely album not speaking exclusively to a classically trained or at least well versed audience but rather one that can be well enjoyed by the casual fan of Contemporary Classical music and modern composition due to its overall harmonic approach.

For those unaware, the Bozzini Quartet presents a new release featuring Vancouver-based Owen Underhill, a composer who has achieved considerable acclaim, including the Western Canadian Music Award for Outstanding Classical Composition and a Juno nomination.

The album Owen Underhill: Songs and Quartets, his third portrait disc and second collaboration with the Bozzini Quartet, vividly captures Underhill’s unusual musical personality. His work frequently and audibly demonstrates a deep respect for and undeniable knowledge of the concert music tradition, but it is by no means traditional.

The works on this recording are superficially accessible and even somewhat familiar, but as soon as listeners look beneath the surface, a disorienting quality emerges.

Taking his Trombone Quintet as a starting point, he discussed with the quartet the possibility of once again enlisting trombonist Jeremy Berkman for these works, this time on the sackbut. It was then, Underhill tells us in the introductory notes, quite natural to move on to the seventeenth-century metaphysical poetry of Henry Vaughan and Sir Walter Raleigh, sung by the countertenor Daniel Cabena.

On what is a simply stunning work of musical art, the new album opens on the chilling, ethereally ornate The Retreat and then brings us the breathtaking quartet that makes up Northern Line — Angel Station (String Quartet No. 2); the first a stirring Adagio calmato, then comes the more furtively entrancing early on, latterly prowling Ritmico, Con spirito, the sedately paced Adagio calmato, Animato, culminating on the grand, playful dancefloor twirls of Quodlibet.

Along next is the organically-imbibed, hauntingly elegant masterpiece What is our Life? and that is in turn backed by the quartet String Quartet No. 5 — Land and Water; which begins with the at first and last quiet, but centered with a skittish nature Dead Tree over Spring Creek, before the resplendent Holy Isle, the searingly sumptuous Raccoon on Wintry Beach then giving way to the final work in the piece, an effortless demeanor shown within the gently strident fare of Sunlight on Mountain Peak.

Hem rebut un nou àlbum de música contemporània de Riparian Media, una companyia fundada per Nick Storring l’any 2018, que s’ha especialitzat a donar veu a artistes i collectius dedicats a la música experimental i a l’exploració sonora.

Aquest àlbum, editat pel segell Dame-Music, representa la continuïtat d’una fructífera collaboració amb el Quatuor Bozzini, un conjunt amb el qual Owen Underhill ja havia treballat des de l’enregistrament del seu Trombone Quintet, l’any 1999.

La producció d’Underhill abasta un ampli ventall de textures i colors instrumentals, des d’obres orquestrals i corals fins a música de cambra que transita entre conjunts tradicionals i agrupacions més singulars, amb instruments d’època o formacions xineses.

Cal subratllar la seva dedicació a la promoció de la música contemporània canadenca, fet que el situa com una figura clau dins l’escena musical actual.

Establert a Vancouver, Underhill ha creat un univers sonor que inclou orquestra, veu, cor i una gran varietat de conjunts de cambra, sovint amb instrumentacions poc convencionals que desafien els límits del llenguatge musical.

Songs and Quartets, que reuneix les obres The Retreat, Northern Line—Angel Station, What is our Life? i Land and Water, posa de manifest la seva versatilitat i la seva fascinació per les combinacions inèdites en la música de cambra. La seva escriptura es caracteritza per una densitat vibrant, un colorisme ric i una lírica subtil, qualitats que brillen en cadascuna de les peces d’aquest àlbum. El compositor canadenc aposta pel diàleg creatiu amb els intèrprets, aprofundint en la interpretació i l’expressivitat, fet que converteix aquest àlbum en un autèntic reflex de la seva identitat artística.

«Amb una transició del tot fluïda, vaig arribar a la poesia metafísica del segle disset de Henry Vaughan i Sir Walter Raleigh, en la veu del contratenor Daniel Cabena», explica el compositor.

Les quatre peces que conformen el disc revelen un llenguatge musical que és una trobada elegant i sorprenent de diversos elements. La seva capacitat per reconciliar amb tanta coherència aquesta combinació inusual posa de manifest tant la seva habilitat com la seva imaginació com a creador.

El Quatuor Bozzini, que ja ens havia captivat amb el seu enregistrament anterior (vegeu-ne la ressenya), destaca per una interpretació d’una integritat artística exemplar: sempre fidels a l’essència de les obres, però aportant-hi una mirada pròpia, valenta i profundament reflexiva.

Canadian artist and composer Joane Hetu is out with the album Elle a son mot à dire, and this is a creation that resides smack right in the middle of the experimental and avantgarde universe as far as style and orientation is concerned. In many ways these are compositions that defies genre classification as such, where the approach, orientation and execution is rather more defining than the music itself. Expressive use of vocals is the most defining aspect throughout, from spoken worlds and ethereal floating vocals textures to several variations on more regular singing and on towards more expressive use of the voice for song as well as other vocal displays. With singular as well as plural use of voices and vocals. The music elements tend to be of a minimalist nature, referencing folk music, jazz and classical music to some degree or other. We do get some compositions where the role of the instruments are given more space and room though, with one display of what I’d describe as a more free form variety of jazz and the other, at the very end of the album, which to my mind feature a little bit of a French chanson feel combined with a more relaxed and romantic jazz expression. A production to seek out by those who are fond of music explored as a higher form of art, and then in particular when revolving around expressive minimalism and a more purebred avantgarde expression.

Composer, improviser, and saxophonist Joane Hétu has been a vital figure in Quebec’s experimental music scene since the 1980s. Her latest album, Elle a son mot à dire (She Has Her Say), released with Ensemble SuperMusique, brings together compositions written between 2001 and 2023 in a vivid, genre-defying live performance. In recent interviews with both Hétu and trumpet player Émile Fortin, I had the opportunity to explore the creative process behind this album and their views on improvisation, collaboration, and performance.

The album, recorded live in May 2023, reflects Hétu’s signature blend of notated music, improvisation, and text. Though the pieces weren’t composed under a unified theme, Hétu explains that her fascination with language and expression shapes the project: “I didn’t work from a specific theme, but as the title suggests, I explored words I wanted to bring together in a single concert. It’s a unique performance built around language.”

Several of the album’s works are based on original texts, some of which have been long-held, while others are newly written. Vivante, for example, features Hétu on voice and Michel F Côté on percussion in a free improvisation based on a text from 2005 that had never been performed before. In Mot elle a, the singer’s part is fully composed, while the percussionist improvises within a set of guidelines. Other pieces, like Elle qui est-elle?, feature a hybrid form—composed structures with space for instrumental solos, including trumpet and tuba.

For Hétu, this balance between structure and freedom is essential. She describes herself as drawn to “radical improvisation”—music made without scores or directions, relying purely on listening, interaction, and spontaneity. “Improvising takes less time to prepare than a fully notated piece,” she notes, “but it requires a different kind of attention—grace, intelligence, and musicality in the moment.”

The album was created with Ensemble SuperMusique, a variable-geometry collective Hétu co-directs alongside founding member Danielle Palardy Roger. For this project, the group included seven musicians—instrumentalists and vocalists—whose diverse backgrounds and creative input shaped the sound of the performance. The concert wasn’t just about music; it was a total experience. Costumes, makeup, movement, and staging all played a role in supporting the sonic language of the pieces.

One of the performers, Émile Fortin, a classically trained trumpet player and improviser, spoke enthusiastically about the process. “We had about 18 hours of rehearsal, which is a lot for a single performance,” they shared. “Some of the pieces used small percussion or toys instead of our main instruments. The visual element mattered too—we had specific colours, costumes, and makeup. It all helped us feel that the concert was conceived as a whole.”

Émile’s exploration of new music began in graduate school, when a seminar on Vinko Globokar’s Laboratorium introduced her to performance techniques beyond traditional orchestral methods. Her musical identity developed through free improvisation, acting, movement, and performance art. Today, Émile performs in a variety of contexts, from solo work to ensemble settings, and manages their projects, which are centered on experimental and community-engaged music.

She describes free improvisation not only as a musical approach but as a way of relating to others: “It’s like a social model. Sometimes you instantly connect with the other musicians, sometimes you don’t — but you still have to listen and respond. It teaches you how to be present and relevant, just like in a real conversation.” In improvised settings, silence, restraint, and timing become as important as sound itself.

Hétu shares this deep commitment to listening, both in performance and as a composer. While her compositions often begin with texts and melodies that live in her mind for months or years, she always seeks to preserve space for interpretation and dialogue. One thing that distinguishes her work is the way she writes with performers in mind. Émile emphasised this point: “Joane doesn’t just write for the trumpet—she writes for me. She lets each musician’s personality shape the music.”

For those new to experimental music, both artists encourage live listening. “This music isn’t difficult if you allow yourself to let go,” Hétu said. Émile agreed, highlighting the energy of live interaction as a defining feature: “If you can attend a free improvisation performance, that’s where you’ll feel it—especially the moment when something clicks between the musicians.”

They both recommend the track Vivante as a good starting point. “It’s just voice and percussion, but it swings in a way that’s very immediate,” Émile said. “It almost feels like a song you’d hear on the radio, but with so much freedom.”

Beyond Elle a son mot à dire, Hétu continues to mentor and collaborate across generations, helping keep Montréal’s new music ecosystem vibrant and intergenerational. Meanwhile, Émile carries this ethos forward in their projects, including a wind trio called Williwaw, known for performances that blur the boundaries of instrument, object, and identity.

Together, Hétu and Émile exemplify the power of experimental music to create space for individuality, community, and discovery. In this album, and in their artistic lives, they remind us that sound can speak — even when words fail to convey the full meaning.

For those unaware, born in 1958 in Montréal, where she still lives and works, Joane Hétu is a musician, composer, improviser, conductor, cultural worker and manager.

Winner of the prestigious Freddie Stone Award in 2006 for her involvement in Canadian creation music, Hétu wields her two instruments, voice and alto saxophone, combining the flexibility of one and the urgency of the other in a symbiosis that is uniquely hers. She directs the noise choir Joker, which she founded in 2012 and for which she created, among others, the works Où est-il donc ce rêve? (2014) and Langoureusengagée (2017).

She co-directs the Ensemble SuperMusique (ensemble of 6 to 20 musicians) with Danielle Palardy Roger since 1998 and thus propels the creation and interpretation of graphic scores as well as directional gestures in improvised music to the fore. Ardently passionate about contemporary and improvised music, she has been hosting the Mercredimusics series with Jean Derome and Lori Freedman since 2001.

In recent years, she has composed for the Ensemble SuperMusique, the Bozzini Quartet, the Now Orchestra, Quasar saxophone quartet and Instruments of Happiness. She forms, with Jean Derome, the magical duo Nous perçons les oreilles and she directs the quintet Castor et compagnie which is dedicated to lewd and loving songs.

Her latest release, Elle a son mot à dire, captures Hétu once again leading Ensemble SuperMusique through thirteen of her pieces — most of them new compositions alongside select revisited works from earlier periods.

Continuing to demonstrate her continued resistance to artistic pigeon-holing, moving fluidly between ambient textures and quasi-operatic vocal explorations (amongst others), the new album opens on the enchantingly ambient delights of Elle n’a pas de mot, the fervently captured Mot elle a and the atmospherically-charged Elle n’est pas un animal and then brings us the organic Un idéal, the fluctuating tones of Avoir le motton, and then we get the rhythmic Vivante.

Along next is the spatially effective Lumière and the short but sweet Chant à elle, and these are in turn backed seamlessly by the creatively thought-provoking Jojo dit, the hinged Elle n’est pas un animal, the veritably enrapturing Elle a dit oui, the set rounding out on another atmospheric, animalistic cut Elle a son mot à dire, closing on the languishing beauty within Elle qui est-elle?.