Composition Reviews | CD Reviews | Conducting Reviews
"Bouchard insists on the
abstraction of her work, it also sounds very natural. Her inspiration flows from the
instruments themselves. What she expresses has its source in the means of expression."
The Toronto Star, May 2002, John Lehr
"... one of Canada's
brightest 'New Music' talents... She has quickly established the ground work for a
prestigious career."
The Music Scene, Canada, July 1984, Helene Plouffe
"...her music is passionate
and biting with a good feel for timbre."
Village Voice, (NYC) March 1989, Kyle Gann
BLACK BURNED WOOD
"Nothing in the earlier music I'd heard by local conductor Linda Bouchard prepared me for the effective theatricalism of her Black Burned wood... fragmented rhythmes and uncanny use of percussion conjured up the frightened dream of an adolescent."
Village Voice, (NYC )October 30, 1990, Kyle Gann
BOOMING SANDS
"...kept the emotional temperature high... not a demonstrative solo but a
central protagonist in this effective colour-laden play with orchestra... a
powerful experience experience with a particularly stunning close."
Winnipeg Free Press, February 7, 2000, James Manishen
DUCTWORK
"The instruments offer considerable timbral variety. And "Ductwork", which floats in and
out of tonality, varies the textures. Rapid rhythmic fragments dissolve into more legato
phrases, with the trumpet sounding softly and the violin sliding gracefully around the scale."
San Francisco Examiner, March 26, 1999 Alln Ulrich
ICY CRUISE
"...a precise ear for orchestration."
The Village Voice, (NYC) May 1986, Linda Sanders
"Icy Cruise...made a striking coloristic impact"
New York Times, June 1984, Will Crutchfield
LUNG TA
"Linda Bouchard's LungTa came in five movements and a coda, with elements of
world music about it that might be exerptable, say, for Andy Kershaw's influential
BBC radio show, but also the formal satisfactions (brevity, pacing, point) of
solid writing for the string quartet medium, along with those of a
effects-and-new-sonorities "sound" piece. A strong and attractive personality
was evident in it."
The Boston Globe, June 8, 1993 , Richard Buell
MUSIQUE-DéFILÉ - Fashion Show for the Present Time
"...Yes, this truly was an extraordinary event. Curiously,
you might say, that with all that we enjoyed in this event,
the idea is profoundly romantic, even Wagnerian."
Le Devoir, Montreal, february 19, 2000, François Tousignant
NEIGES
"The highlight of these was the world premiere of the very Canadianly-titled Neiges.
A theme and variations for chamber ensemble, it begins with gestures of characteristic
Bouchardian energy: a joyous spilling of paint, as it were, on the musical canvas. As the piece
progresses, those generous, youthful impulses are refracted, examined and refined. The piece
ends reflectively, with the feeling that the process of discovery and transformation and
richness could continue forever."
National Post, May 2002, Tamara Bernstein
POURTINADE
"... A chimerical tapestry of rarified sounds... Miss Bouchard does have an undeniable gift for creating eloquent sonorities..."
New York Times, January 1984, Tim Page
"...rich in structure, subtlety and sonority..."
Ear Magazine, March 1988, Allen Jenkins
Linda Bouchard's Portrait Concert, New Music Concerts Toronto
"Bouchard's work is full of timbral puns that play on the similarities of tone lurking within very different instruments. Pourtinade, for instance, drew out an astounding degree of family resemblance between Doug Perry's viola and Trevor Tureski's mallet percussion. Le Scandale, for four strings, harp and percussion, often treated the sustaining instruments as though they were mutations of Tureski's battery."
Globe and Mail. TorontoTuesday, May 28, 2002, Robert Everett-Green
PROPOS
"Among the standouts were "Propos"...which subtly exploits, space and sonority..."
Boston Globe, June 1981, Derich Henry
REVELLING OF MEN
"...emotion and energy in this music and an explicit metaphoric significance.."
San Francisco Chronicle, March 1984, Robert Commanday
TOKPELA
Bouchard's 'Tokpela' was a tour-de-force that called to mind a
latter-day answer to Varèse's 'Ionisation'..."
New York Newsday, Oct 1988, Tim Page
TRACES
"The instruments may be played unconventionally, but nothing sounds
strained or forced. Her structures, too, had a deeply organic quality, which may simply mean that she
gives great attention to the development of her material. Listening to her work, the paintings of
Helen Frankenthaler came to mind with their rich colours and natural forms."
The Toronto Star, May 2002, John Lehr
TRANSI-BLANC
"...the breakdown of New York's uptown/downtown polarity... the
slickly professional pointillism of Linda Bouchard's 'Transi-Blanc' is
rooted in East Coast avant-garde chamber music writing, but the romantic
passion of its tonality reaches a larger audience..."
Village Voice, May 1988, Kyle Gann
VERTIGE
"Immediately striking. Full of musical ideas, an especially refined sense of
orchestration and a glimpse into something truly wonderful."
Le Devoir,(Montréal) November 2, 1995, François Tousignant
EXQUISITE FIRES
National Arts Centre Orchestra Marquis Classics
"In "Exquisite Fires", Linda Bouchard proves herself one of the important composers of her generation."
National Public Radio (USA) "All Things Considered" November 4, 1998, Tom Manoff
"There's an uncommon richness in this CD of five orchestral works by Linda Bouchard - a richness of soul as well as craft; of emotional range as well as orchestral palette."
The Toronto Globe and Mail, August 21, 1998 Tamara Bernstein
"In addition to a great mastery of the orchestral medium, we can identify a definite skillfulness in suggesting contrasts by way of a careful use of available instrumental effects, particularly in the strings An important disc, a captivating sound recording."
Le Journal de Montréal, 27 Juin, 1998, Alain Bénard
"...quite stunning, superbly orchestrated and thoroughly engrossing....Let me say it again: This is wonderful music, wonderfully played. Go get it."
The Ottawa Citizen,May 9, 1998, Richard Todd
"This is one of the finest Canadian albums of the season."
The Toronto Star, August 22, 1998 , William Littler
"Bouchard, wether through craft or inspiration, has managed to lace herself squarely in the long and venerable tradition of orchestral composition, which is not easy accomplishment in our time."
The Ottawa Citizen, July 25, 1997, Murray Dineen
LUNG TA
Bang-on-a-Can Volume 3, CRI
"...includes Linda Bouchard's thrilling string quartet "Lung ta". Nowhere is CRI's mission better summarized: this CD comprises the noise, the quiet, and the "live" energy of the whole shebang."
Seattle Weekly, July 5, 1995 Recommended Recording. Andrew Bartlett
POURTINADE
Kim Kashkashian-ECM New Series
"A coupling of a rare intelligence adds even more to the interest of this disc: sophisticatedly extreme, "Pourtinade" blends a screeching viola - in all its flexible outbursts, in its tense lyricism - with a nebulous percussion (distilled by strange timbers of glass)."
Le Monde de la Musique (FRANCE), Mai 1992
"We are in the presence of a rare phenomenon. This recording is literally "transcendental", whether it be in regards to repertoire, interpretation, sound recording or to the description of the works, as well as the visual aspect."
VOIR (Montreal), February 1992
"..a remarkably affecting piece, memorable in particlar for the way it manages - largely through its dextrous handling of bowed percussion and viola harmonics - to tease our the hidden and often unexpected timbral affinities between viola and percussion... a surefooted performance of an enigmatically seductive piece, and it is strongly recommended to adventurous listeners"
Fanfare Magazine, USA, Peter J. Rabinowitz
"Conducting with
headphones from a click track in one of those stunning performances that have
given her an awesome underground reputation, Linda Bouchard led her intrepid
Abandon ensemble through the chaos, enhancing the computor melodies in unison..."
Village Voice, May 1989. Kyle Gann
"Linda Bouchard
securely and flexibly conducted the three large ensemble works"Essential Music
Groups, Music of William Russel."
New York Times, March, 1990, Allan Kozinn
"But nothing here even
began to prepare one for the climatic finale, "Lake, Mountain, Thunder"... none of
which would have become clear without the precision of Linda Bouchard's
conducting." essential Music Group. Music of Dary John Mizelle
Village Voice, November 1988, Kyle Gann
"Under Linda Bouchard's direction,
"Zounds" brought Tanenbaum's 'visions' to life with rare eloquence and drama."
Ear Magazine. May 1986. Allen Jenkins
Bernard Bouchard
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Linda Bouchard | site by: fulgentstudios