… “masterpiece” can hardly express all the sweat and time put in the work, the impact it had and the critical acclaim it received.
Le constat, parfois drôle, souvent douloureux, prend tantôt les couleurs d’un manifeste politique, frôle tantôt la dérision.
The narrative of this uber-classic of musique actuelle revolves around the quest of two adventurers, set out on the old Chemin du Roy, headed for Quebec City. Along the way, they ask the people whom they meet: “Is it important to speak French in Québec?” Their journey is the key to their discovery: the treasure of language.
One often hears the notion expressed that each language has its own music. René Lussier takes this notion litterally. All of the music in this radio work is drawn from the flow of its words. Every sentence has been transformed into notes and rhythms and orchestrated as accompaniment to the verbal narrative. The result, as one would expect from Lussier, is miles away from any known beaten track. Neither academic or political, Le trésor de la langue is a tribute to the quirks of speech, slang, accents; it is at times humorous and thoughtful, and even thought-provoking.
An unanimous decision, the jury members of the Community of French-speaking Radio Stations (CRPLF) awarded the 1989 Grand Prix Paul-Gilson for musics to René Lussier for this work.
Available via renelussier.com.