Le Romantique – Damien Lancelle

Le Romantique – 
5 centuries of romantic music on the 8-string guitar

In the romantic period, artists turned away from logical structures towards a subjective perception of the world, giving expression to dark passions and irrational emotions. In music, this shift manifested itself in a broader melodic range, intricate harmonies and greater rhythmical flexibility, in guitar music in the common use of 7 and 8-stringed instruments.

While these attributes are trademarks of 19th century music, all epochs knew prominent composers who used them for their great expressive effect. Even though the term “romantic” is generally applied to the 19th century, all epochs have had their „romantic“ tendencies.

This is what I wanted to illustrate with the works I selected for this album.

It begins with a personal homage to the French and Viennese music of the 19th century. The title refers to “viennoiseries” („things of Vienna“ in french) which are pastries such as the croissant that, ironically enough, the Viennese call french.