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Dominique Pifarély & François Couturier "Preludes & Songs"

A collaboration that has lasted for more than thirty years, in various configurations, has brought together these two very singular musicians who team again today, in the reaffirmation of their great artistic complicity. A first album was recorded – and published by the prestigious German label ECM – in 1997. They are now creating an new original program for piano and violin, refined in the crucible of improvisation and jazz, and the rich tradition of their instruments.

Dominique Pifarély, Solo

"French violinist Dominique Pifarély gives an outstanding solo violin recital. The music is totally improvised and it roves through a range of moods and atmospheres, textures and tone colours, dynamically and unpredictably." (Steve Lake, ECM Records).

Géraldine Keller & Dominique Pifarély "Gegenlicht"

« Celles et ceux qui aiment les jeux de contrepoint entre la musique et la littérature seront comblés, et sans doute étonnés par ce que ce duo d’improvisateurs parvient à imaginer dans l’instant autour des mots du poète Paul Celan, dont les poèmes sont posés sur le pupitre. Géraldine Keller les met en bouche, en allemand et en français tour à tour, et Dominique Pifarély les lit de sa place. Ces poèmes sont, en quelque sorte, la partition autour de laquelle l’imagination des deux improvisateurs se développe et s’enflamme. » (Anne Montaron, France Musique).

Dominique Pifarély Quartet

Pifarély continues to put his writing at the service of the collective and of the improvisational work, be it the ensemble or the individual solos. Besides the pleasure these four exceptional instrumentalists give to our ears, the way in which the composed and the improvised intermingles in these collection of pieces is a very strong factor of enthusiasm.

Sclavis / Pifarély / Courtois

Asian Fields Variations marks the first time that clarinettist Louis Sclavis, violinist Dominique Pifarély and cellist Vincent Courtois, long-time colleagues, have recorded as a trio. All three are major figures in contemporary French creative music : this is a new group with a lot of history. As one can hear on the recording, they have retained the capacity to surprise each other – and their listeners – as improvisers. Alertness and freshness are key qualities here.

Dominique Pifarély "Suite: Anabasis"

«... the extreme coherence of the process, the very high quality of the soloists (including the violinist !), in the performance as well as in the improvisation, and this permanent oscillation between the languages that all the members of the group have in common, from the most rigorous writing to the freest improvisation, almost a manifesto that would tell us: we play what we are.» (Xavier Prévost / JazzMagazine).

François Bon & Dominique Pifarély

Inaugurée sur Rabelais (richesse, complexité, immédiateté aussi de la musique de Rabelais), puis, plus tard, sur les propres textes de François – l’expérience Tumulte sur une année –, le projet « Peur », écrit en allers-retours, « Formes d’une guerre » (2010, avec l’utilisation du traitement électronique en temps réel et les images de Philippe De Jonckheere), « Une traversée de Buffalo », « Contre » (2013, texte et images de Philippe De Jonckheere), ou “La musique d’Erich Zann” de Lovecraft, une rencontre qui est une expérience unique, sans cesse renouvelée, et chaque performance est un sujet en soi.

Violaine Schwartz & Dominique Pifarély "Papiers"

« Papiers », de Violaine Schwartz (P.O.L. éd.) a été écrit à partir de témoignages de demandeurs d’asile recueillis par la romancière et actrice Violaine Schwartz. En contrepoint, à l’unisson, en chœur, en écho, le violoniste et compositeur Dominique Pifarély crée en temps réel une fresque de voix et de sons qui retrace leurs parcours de douleur et d’espoir.

"French violinist Dominique Pifarély has been a vivid influence in European jazz and new music since the late 1970s and he has found a personal language that expressively adapts to orthodox jazz settings, cutting-edge improv, and contemporary classical music alike." John Fordham / The Guardian

"Dominique Pifarély modernized jazz violin, combining extraordinary technical skills with an inclusive idea of music-making." Francesco Martinelli / allmusic.com

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"Everything a Pifarély band plays sounds as if it has a rich and reflective old and new music history to it." John Fordham / The Guardian

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"French violinist Dominique Pifarély gives an outstanding solo violin recital." Steve Lake / ECM Records