The Belouga Quartet is made up of a new generation of players: Sebastien Bourrelly, Valentin Conte, Benjamin Melia and Florian Mesureux. Each one represents a different school, according to his geographical origins: from the Rhône valley to the Nice area, via Aix and Toulon.
Driven by the wish to refresh the repertoire of its instrument, the Belouga Quartet asked for help from four composers: Jean Michel Bossini, Patrice Conte, Miquèu Montanaro and Patrick Vaillant. They kindly agreed to accept certain constraints: to compose a farandole or a polka, to allow asymmetrical time signatures, or to encapsulate and reproduce recent playing styles.
The goal was not to deconstruct, but rather to harvest the present of a centuries-old instrument in its many variants; to remain faithful to the cultural markers of the discipline while revealing its diversity and its evolution.
I wanted an entirely original album, drawn from all over Provence, which is rooted in the present of its composers. This recording is distinguished by its ecumenical approach, bringing together diverse schools and practices, participating in the pipe and tabor revival, and opening up a new space for the imagination.