Piano Solo Vol.2

It would be possible to go through a whole list of former classical music interpreters who, after turning to free improvisation, did everything they could to bury, unlearn, or forget their influences. Patrick Scheyder embraces his classical upbringing, and this honesty, which sounds out in every single note he plays, is his best feature, strong enough to endear him to people usually not prone to classical piano. Scheyder has not rejected melody, harmony, and rhythm in a big avant-gardist sweeping motion. Instead, he calmly re-introduces improvisation into classical forms. Piano Solo II has been culled from a two-hour session of improvisations in the studio. Each piece was invented on the spot, and yet it feels structured and stretching toward a specific goal. Scheyder has at his fingertips the combined influences of a cross section of composers from Bach to Satie. His music pours out from a stream of consciousness, merging styles and eras. Delicate and playful in "Napolitaine" and "Suite en Mélodies," almost naïve in the two "Chant du Piano" pieces, feverish and tormented in "Fantaisie" and "Résponse de Vulcain," Scheyder impresses because he takes listeners far from the idiom of classical piano while staying true to its spirit. Yes, it surprises to hear so many melodies and rhythmic passages on what is in fact a free improv album. But grace and honesty can go a long way. ~ François Couture|