Review: Yann Tiersen at Yugong Yishan

Just as Yann Tiersen may not have recognized Yugong Yishan (the same venue he played on his first trip to Beijing in 2006, which has since moved from Chunxiu to Zhangzizhong Lu), the audience too may not have recognized immediately his electrified rendition of “La Valse d'Amélie.” For instead of playing it as a piano solo, despite having a keyboard at his disposal, Tiersen opted instead for a violin and the accompaniment of a four-person band.

Throughout the evening Tiersen himself switched seamlessly back and forth between keyboard, melodica, ukulele and guitar, in addition to providing vocals. But, for the most part, he was attached to the violin, playing so ferociously that many of the bowstrings had snapped by the show’s end. (Good thing it was, then, that two violins were readied on stage in advance.)

Thus, the quaint wonderment of “La Valse d'Amélie” as heard in the film assumed instead a powerful, almost violent display of emotionality.

Ferocity came to mark the mood of the evening at Yugong Yishan, Tiersen’s first China stop on his 2009 Dust Lane Tour. There were no piano solos or delicate moments during his 75-minute set – only Tiersen eagerly grinding away at violin or engrossed in intense electric guitar sequences, all the time backed by a drummer, a supporting electric guitar and bass, as well as an eerie ondes Martenot.

He certainly did not need the help of Carsick Cars or Snapline – his opening acts on June 19 & 20, respectively – to bring attention to the tour, as both bands were last minute additions not mentioned on any of the promotional material. Regardless, both of Tiersen’s Beijing shows sold out in advance.

With the exception of “Sur Le Fil” and “Amelie,” Tiersen did not play any other songs featured on the soundtrack of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s 2001 seminal film, nor from the two subsequent films he has scored since (2003’s Good Bye Lenin! and 2008’s Tabarly). Perhaps Tiersen had planned in advance to recall the song that harkens back to a noticeably different era of his career, or perhaps it was in response to the audience’s unremitting chants of “Amelie! Amelie!” Whatever the case, Tiersen concluded his first of back-to-back concerts at Yugong Yishan with the film's title track as an encore.

In reality, Tiersen didn’t compose the soundtrack to Amélie more so than he compiled it using pieces previously recorded for his earlier albums, four of them spanning 1995-1999. Only a handful of songs on the score, in fact, were original to the film. And though Tiersen has continued to create tracks for film in a similar style – that is, relying heavily on a minimalist approach to a singular instrument – his solo works and live performances have, meanwhile, taken a vastly different direction.

This shift may result from Tiersen limiting himself to instruments that travel easier, as he has been touring quite a lot in the past few years (he has remarked that tracking down a reliable piano in a foreign city can be a trying task) – but this also may be a result of Tiersen opting to travel and tour, rather than confine himself to the studio. After all, it is indeed the live performance that lends true appreciation for Tiersen’s musical genius.

They don’t call him a multi-instrumentalist for nothing. He did, at one point during his show, start a song by synching a staggered piano chord from a digital keyboard, then switched to the melodica after strapping on an electric guitar – which he may or may not have swapped out mid-song for an acoustic – before eventually reverting once again back to violin.

But if Tiersen deserves the title of multi-instrumentalist, it is not only because he plays multiple instruments flawlessly, but also for his ability to render completely different songs from a single composition, depending on what instrument he decides to use. A tranquil piece originally written for, say, the piano may instantly transform into a vivace on violin. Such was the case for both “La Valse d'Amélie” and “Le Train.” The recorded version of the latter, jolting by default due to its dissonant chord sequences, still retains a soothing sense of melancholy; meanwhile, Tiersen’s live performance of the song was so intense it could have been mistaken for heavy metal.

In fact, Tiersen’s body of work is so immensely varied, ranging from classical to folk to rock & roll and even dipping occasionally into trip- and hip-hop, it makes it virtually impossible to predict what or how Tiersen will play.

This pattern for unpredictability mirrors his personal story, in a way: Classically trained in violin and piano since early childhood, Tiersen began to veer more towards rock & roll as a teenager, only to revert back to the classical later in the 1990s (the period during which many of the songs used later for Amélie were composed).

Now it seems that once again Tiersen is longing for change, in particular a more radical sound following his most recent score of gentle piano melodies for Tabarly. So it is of no surprise that despite being best known as the brilliant composer behind Amélie, the wistful piano compositions featured on that soundtrack were nothing like what Tiersen offered at his live show on June 19. Leaving the reveries for film, when it comes to his personal tastes, he seems more inclined toward bolder sounds. (As of late, this seems to be the electric guitar, which he reached for almost as much as the violin.)

What comes next from the man they call the contemporary Chopin – whether it be a studio release, another film score or an album of live recordings – is yet to be seen. What is clear from this recent China tour, however, is that as Tiersen continues to experiment and expand his scope as a musician, the scope of his audience continues to grow as well. (In addition to Beijing and Shanghai, cities that he already performed in on his first tour in 2006, Wuhan was added to the list for 2009).

One just hopes it doesn’t take another three years for Tiersen to return.

Photos by Lisa Liang