Denis Levaillant
Eloge de la radio (In Praise of the Radio)

Zapping from the last Morse code message sent by US ships at Pearl Harbor to the presentation of the first pressure-cooker at the Lépine competition for inventions in Paris, this is the memory of radio, live broadcasting and the moment of shared emotion, sitting round the "wireless", which are evoked in storybook manner by Denis Levaillant, that music writer. In Eloge de la Radio, music speaks, suggests and absorbs the world while telling about it. As in "scratching" from one station to another, the spectator/listener crosses the country of the bizarre, the country of exploits, rhythm and space… From voyage to voyage, the music, naïve and refined, slides merrily from orchestral writing to radio archives. It absorbs the sound, returns to the note and mixes the listening. But, above all, it skilfully integrates two exceptional soloists on stage: two radio sound-effects engineers. Starting from everyday objects, these illusionists reveal to us the secrets of an enchanted sound world that is gradually constructed before our eyes.

Benoît Thiebergien

Excerpt 1 - Excerpt 2 - Excerpt 3

Photos © Julie Levaillant

A FEW REACTIONS :

« The intimate relationship that each of us has with the radio should ensure the recognition and gratitude of a broad audience for this work and its author, who is little concerned with the coterie mentality. »

TELERAMA


« Eloge de la radio [...] is a successful production, both popular and sophisticated—something quite rare.»

DIAPASON


«Denis Levaillant obviously set out to enjoy himself when composing his Eloge de la Radio. If we are to judge the pleasure afforded by this veritable show, he won his wager. A fine moment of music, full of brainwaves, humility and intelligence. »

WEBCITY (www.webcity.fr)


« This universe, as fabulous as you might wish and spiced up with Denis Levaillant’s humour, cleverly combines excerpts from radio archives and instrumental colours as simple as they are refined. The whole forms a lively, gripping work that carries the audience along in a delightful moment. »

DAUPHINE LIBERE

« Announced as a musical fairytale, the affair suggests a radio cartoon. More influenced by Tex Avery than by South Park, evoking the wireless more than a pop station, the piece is slightly nostalgic for the future. Memories of Radio-France, the BBC or elsewhere get along well with the destructured booies and hyperharmonic sonatas. This evening, radio waves are decidedly creating pleasure. »