Genticorum – Coeur de l’Aube (Genticorum, 2023)
Just when the darkness gives way to the dawn, the birdsong reaches a crescendo. It is the “dawn chorus,” which greets the first sunbeams piercing the horizon. Au Coeur de l’Aube (The Heart of Dawn), the eleventh album by the trio Genticorum, is an invitation to delve into the core of Québécois folk music by the light of the breaking dawn. The album’s title captures this spirit in untranslatable wordplay, simultaneously evoking “the heart of the dawn” and the “dawn chorus” in the homonyms coeur/choeur.
These twelve tracks, a mixture of vocal pieces and instrumentals, are populated by a host of birds. A recurring figure is the lark, who visits sailors on the high seas, accompanies lovers in the fields, and places her heart in the wings of the blackbird. We also meet the quail and the partridge, perched on the throne of their nest, watching us. These tales are illuminated through the trio’s idiosyncratic musical sensibility, honed by their experience playing on the international scene for more than 20 years.
The sum of this cumulative experience nourishes the three musicians of Genticorum in their craft. Weaving together vibrant threads of accordion, guitar, violin, flute, and foot percussion, with arrangements that are sometimes festive, sometimes introspective, the trio is dedicated to expressing the essence of these melodies and the poetry of traditional songs. With glad hearts, joyful harmonies and engaging call and response vocals, Pascal, Yann, and Nicholas invite you to discover these stories, brought to life again on Au Coeur de l’Aube.
Buy Au Coeur de l’Aube.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.