Skip to main content

Maverick Ad

Home

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Cover Stories
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Cashbox Legacy Awards
  • Past Covers
  • Weekly Archive
Ottawa-based Composer Huguette Lavigne Makes Her Piano Dance on the “Rails”

Breadcrumb

  • Home
  • Ottawa-based Composer Huguette Lavigne Makes Her Piano Dance on the “Rails”
Huguette Lavigne
Fri May 07, 2021
Cashbox Canada

Ottawa-based pianist and composer Huguette Lavigne returns with another sparkling addition to her collection of solo piano pieces, “Rails”.

Featuring a lovely, dancing upper melody supported by ascending arpeggios, “Rails” carries the listener along a sun-dappled stream just shy of three minutes long. Much like many of her over 40 piano works, this is another beautiful manifestation of Lavigne’s desire to let go and let the muse take her wherever it pleases. 

Check out “Rails” on YouTube here:

“There is something about breaking the rules that can be terribly satisfying,” she says. “My fingers sometimes go where they want to on the keyboard and at times I sort of have to take them back home or rein them in.”

Lavigne’s playing and composing are truly extensions of her physical and mental being. She’s an artist who eschews the tradition of meticulously notating her compositions in favour of relying on a shorthand of her own to facilitate recall for future performances. Her final compositions are eventually stored entirely in her head and fingers. Once they’re recorded she moves on to the next piece.

“Not notating everything down keeps things fresh,” explains Lavigne. “You are open to new phrases and resolutions. This is risky, but oh so satisfying!”

Lavigne’s expressive songs are also satisfyingly plentiful. The prolific pianist has released four full-length recordings over the past five years. Her latest album, Five O’Clock Somewhere, was released in 2020, while “Rails” is from her third collection, Free and Easy, originally released in 2019. Her first album, Black Tie Affair, debuted in 2015 and a second collection of her works, Yin and Yang, was issued in 2018.

Lavigne was raised in a milieu of three Canadian cultures, Franco Ontarian, Quebecois, and English Canadian. She studied composition at McGill University and piano at l’université de Montréal. Consequently, her music has a melting pot of influences including elements of Neo-Classicism, Neo-Romanticism, Minimalism, Jazz, Folk and Classical.

“There has always been something alluring about the pieces I studied, loved and discovered over the years,” recalls Lavigne. “They are valuable, inspired specimens of the universal landscape we have all inherited and that we live in today. The fabric of that music inspires me to this day.”

Lavigne’s composing inspiration always comes from a deeply personal place but the variety of influences she has had can often make what comes out of her fingers surprising.

“Somehow and unexpectedly, a style, theme, mood, emotion or vision is released from the deep recesses of memory,” she explains. “It’s a place where the subjective is stored and it surprises me when it lets something loose. Then, I either capture it, or let it go.”

We can’t wait to see where her head, heart and fingers will take her next but, for now, Huguette Lavigne’s “Rails” is available now.

Fore more on Huguette Lavigne visit:
pianonotesottawa.ca/
soundcloud.com/huguette-lavigne/03-rails-wav
open.spotify.com/artist/263xHg7rf2m9BJsVg1Ler3?si=e585a7c252e3405c&nd=1

Reviews
Album
Huguette Lavigne
Month: Jun 2022
Pop Sensation  Andrew Cassara Shows He’s “Better Off” & Moving On with Dancy New Single Pop Sensation Andrew Cassara Shows He’s “Better Off” & Moving On with…
Rockers Arsenal Mills Unleash Release Supercharged New Single, “Give It Up” Rockers Arsenal Mills Unleash Release Supercharged New Single, “Give It Up…
Durham County Poets Are “Back at the Groove Shack,” Leading the Soulful Way ‘Out of the Woods’ with New Album & Single Durham County Poets Are “Back at the Groove Shack,” Leading the…
Canadian Songsmith Christina Martin Drops Blistering New Single, “In Control” Canadian Songsmith Christina Martin Drops Blistering New Single, “In…
Salt Lake City, Utah Pop-Country Artist Elliott Novak “Why Does Everyday Start With Goodbye” Salt Lake City, Utah Pop-Country Artist Elliott Novak “Why Does…
Heather Charlottetown, PEI Heather Releases Unadulterated Rock ‘N’ Roller“…
Janel Rae Explores Inner & Outer Wreckage with Radically Honest “Sometimes” Janel Rae Explores Inner & Outer Wreckage with Radically Honest “Sometimes…
Morgan x Barrie Explores Human Connection & the Search for Our Place in the World with New Album, Lines Morgan x Barrie Explores Human Connection & the Search for…
Summerside, PEI's Alt-Rocker Soul Filter Say “The City Knows” with New Single Summerside, PEI's Alt-Rocker Soul Filter Say “The City Knows” with New…
Windsor, ON-Born, NYC-Based Leah Harris’ New Single “Shine” Climbing the Charts Windsor, ON-Born, NYC-Based Leah Harris’ New Single “Shine” Climbing the…
Winnipeg's Pop/R&B Artist Stanley Battles With Ego Vs Love In New Single, “Twisted” Winnipeg's Pop/R&B Artist Stanley Battles With Ego Vs Love In New…
Chris Antonik Blues-Rocker Chris Antonik Explores the Hurt of Being Shut Out in…
Frida Maria Encapsulating Every Emotion & Beyond, Pop-EDM Artist Frida Maria…
Flowshine Calgary Alt-Rockers Flowshine Say “Give It A Go” on their Release of…
Christian Artist Ileen Laura Brings Needed Awareness Scleroderma with “Fight Left In Me” Christian Artist Ileen Laura Brings Needed Awareness Scleroderma…

Pagination

  • First page « First
  • Previous page ‹ Previous
  • …
  • Page 69
  • Page 70
  • Page 71
  • Page 72
  • Current page 73
  • Page 74
  • Page 75
  • Page 76
  • Page 77
  • …
  • Next page Next ›
  • Last page Last »

CEO/PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF
SANDY GRAHAM

email:sandygrahamemg@gmail.com 

Canadian Journalists:

Contributing Journalist - Canada and Global
Don Graham
email: dongrahamwriter@gmail.com

Contributing Journalist - Canada and Global
Lisa Hartt
email: lisahartt87@hotmail.com

Contributing Journalist - Canada 
Michael Williams
email: greydread@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

International Journalists:

Contributing Journalist - Sweden
Malin Osth
email: malin@musicdays.se

Contributing Journalist - Sweden
Jonas Tancred
email: jonas@musicdays.se

Contributing Journalist - USA
Rob Durkee 
email: rockster2746@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Web Developer/Technical Support
Chris Wardman

email: info@chriswardman.com
website: chriswardman.com

Cashbox Cover Design and Graphic Artist
Jain McMillan

email: jainmcmillan@gmail.com

Contributing Photographer 
Tracey Savein - South Paw Productions
southpawproductions@rogers.com

 

 

 

Footer menu

  • Home
  • Features
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Cashbox Archive
  • Issue Archive
  • Past Covers