He said it himself: ‘My greatest musical dream was, one day, to hear my music written for jazz trio and orchestra. Since I discovered orchestration during my classical studies, I have always written for orchestra, influenced by my teachers including Bartók, Stravinsky and Webern, and I had never previously had the opportunity to realize this project. Some partitions were already written, others had been added to it, yet all have arisen in an order that is dear to me – gathered from the classical, jazz, and world music arenas. The work uses a jazz trio, a classic symphony orchestra, instruments, and instrumentalists from all over the world, all sharing the same music.’ With The Kingdom of Arwen, which appeared through naïve jazz, the dream was finally realised, and will remain an emotional event to highlight the life of Thierry Maillard as a musician, and a real person. For the occasion, the pianist brought together his faithful Yoann Schmidt (drums), Dominique Di Piazza (bass), Didier Halherbe (duduk, Baxu flute), Minino Garay (percussion), Olivia Gay (cello), Nguyen Lê (guitar), Neil Gerstenberg (whistle), Taylan Arikan (bağlama), Kloučková Marta (vocals), and the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by Jan Kucera. On his previous album, The Alchemist, published in 2014, which included chamber orchestras, world musicians, and much more, Maillard had already synthesised some of his musical influences. In fact, in a set fully composed by the pianist, the songs of this album are beautifully served by the colours of the orchestra, and the solid core that forms the trio. These pieces are inspired by favourite themes, his fascination with ancient Egypt, the Vikings, and fantastic imagery. Finally, Thierry Maillard is able to pay tribute to Frank Zappa; a perilous task that he performed with Nguyen Lê. This is a beautiful and unusual project, to be held up high.
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