"Place in Landscape Moulin de Senlis" video
Eric Chapelle and Michelle Schumann
2024 /
Review by Kathy Parsons
The "Place in Landscape Moulin de Senlis" video was inspired by track 6 of Eric Chapelle's 2023 solo piano album, Works For Solo Piano. (Michelle Schumann performed Eric's original music for the album.) This particular track is the longest on the album and that, along with the video, is what Eric calls "the most personal artistic expression I have done so far since it does refer to my past and my childhood." The piece recalls the three years Eric and his two brothers lived at the Moulin de Senlis in the late 1950's. It was then a children's home ("Foyer des Enfants" in French), but since Eric's parents were around, why the boys were placed there continues to be a mystery. The video features many photos of the building and grounds as well as of the three boys as very young children. A sense of mystery flows throughout the music as well as the video, which is what I consider a very personal work of art. Eric revisited Moulin de Senlis a few years ago and wrote the music while he and his wife were in France for a semester for her teaching job. It's a very beautiful video that can be viewed on YouTube. Don't miss it!
July 19, 2024