The Trois Études—one of several world première recordings on this CD—are exquisite piano miniatures in contrasting textures and witty counterpoint: true feats of compositional economy and small-scale structure. The second Étude is a gem: its softer, caressing moments harken to the loveliest jazz, and pianist Brigitte Poulin seduces with each note.
— Cecilia Livingston, MusicWorks
Brigitte Poulin and D’Arcy Philip Gray teamed up to play my favourite piece of the evening, "Quatre Pièces fébriles" (1995) for marimba and piano. Composer Georges Aperghis describes it as “a game of mirrors…games between dry attack and their resonances…games where one gets lost not knowing who is who and what is what.” A piece by Aperghis is always amusing: this one is like one of those animations where your mirror image takes on an independent life and imitations fall in and out of synch, often echoing with unpredictable delays, rather than mirroring, as if your reflection were developing intelligence, knowledge of you, and a sense of humour as the piece develops. The incredible sense of timing between the players and some beautiful mellow tones of the marimba remain in the mind with great pleasure.
— Stanley Fefferman, Transmission Confirmed, June 6th, 2008, showtimemagazine.ca
Some of the best music was heard at the end. Poulin made a strong case for Luc Marcel’s Riopelle (more romantic than the abstract painter of the title).
— from Phew! Contemporary music society saves best for last by Arthus Kaptainis, The Gazette, Montreal, 12.06
I found the piece with me still, my mood still governed by the tensions and pauses, by the sensitivities inherent in the piece and by the performance itself, the very presence of a solitary piano in this small Church. Indeed, Poulin’s performance showed all the restraint and skill of her experience, her passion for this music evident in her every gesture.
— from Brigitte Poulin plays Morton Feldman at the Music Gallery, Toronto, by Richard di Santo, incursion.org, 24.05.2003
The pianist Brigitte Poulin was mesmerizing. She gave an extraordinarily intelligent and exquisitely balanced reading of this complex, meditative piece.
— from Sonatas & Interludes by John Cage by Alan Conter, The Globe and Mail, Toronto 17. 05.2002
Brigitte Poulin and D’Arcy Philip Gray teamed up to play my favourite piece of the evening, Quatre Pièces fébriles (1995) for marimba and piano. Composer Georges Aperghis describes it as “a game of mirrors…games between dry attack and their resonances…games where one gets lost not knowing who is who and what is what.” A piece by Aperghis is always amusing: this one is like one of those animations where your mirror image takes on an independent life and imitations fall in and out of synch, often echoing with unpredictable delays, rather than mirroring, as if your reflection were developing intelligence, knowledge of you, and a sense of humour as the piece develops. The incredible sense of timing between the players and some beautiful mellow tones of the marimba remain in the mind with great pleasure.
— Stanley Fefferman, showtimemagazine.ca, June 6th, 2008, Transmission Confirmed
Some of the best music was heard at the end. Poulin made a strong case for Luc Marcel’s Riopelle (more romantic than the abstract painter of the title).
— from Phew! Contemporary music society saves best for last by Arthus Kaptainis, The Gazette, Montreal, 12.06
The pianist Brigitte Poulin was mesmerizing. She gave an extraordinarily intelligent and exquisitely balanced reading of this complex, meditative piece.
— from Sonatas & Interludes by John Cage by Alan Conter, The Globe and Mail, Toronto 17. 05.2002