Soar-Dream-France: Marina's Music Magic

Marina Gendel and I would have become friends whether Monsieur Winkelmann was in my life or not, but we would have never shared the summer of 2007. I was busy that summer writing training curriculums, so I was pretty much stuck at the computer all day. Marina was in the process of composing and arranging piano music for a cd that would be used to teach historical dance for ballet. Even though there is a music school in Cajarc, it was much easier for Marina to come down from Chez Friedmann and work here. So many days that summer, we both pounded the keyboards. It was really special for me. Sometimes I would just get up and dance or go sit on my front steps and listen to her play as I soaked up the beauty of our valley. On one of those soaking up the beauty days, Marina began a tune based on a Renaissance Allemande. It carried me back in a haunting kind of way...to where and when I'm not sure. After she finished, I said: "That's it. That should be the theme song for the Chatette!" From then on, that particular tune became "Laury's House". I was very spoiled that summer. I asked Marina if I could have a copy of the music she used to arrange the piece, so she left the original with me. I don't know what came over me, but one day I sat down and wrote lyrics to what I have come to call "Chez Laury", even though Marina's version on the CD is entitled: "La Maison de Laury". The Chatette sang regularly that summer. Dali would walk back and forth between Marina at her keyboard and me at mine, keeping an eye on both of us.

Christmas was pretty special this year for a lot of reasons, one of which was this CD of Shubert and Biber performed by Marina and some of her colleagues from the Boston Symphony. You'll notice that Marina had the Chatette printed on the Christmas CD.

When Marina went to record the final version of the Historical Dance CD in the states, she told me that she would sometimes visualize the Winkelmann, the Chatette, and Dali at her feet while she was recording in the studio. We shared an incredible place, an incredible piano, and an incredible summer. Who would think that you'd find such an accomplished, talented, pianist in the tiny village of Cadrieu. The world comes to Cadrieu. Merci to Marina and Monsieur Winkelmann. You have changed "our" lives!

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I couldn't be more biased...but everything Marina plays is incredible. It's such a treat for me to be elsewhere in the Chatette and hear her play-we really do sing and dance and sway quite happily as the Lot eases by the window!

Posted by: Laury Bourgeois | February 01, 2010 at 02:24 PM