Fifteen years ago, Yann Tiersen’s platinum-selling, Bafta-award winning score for Amélie elevated the French composer to cult status among those enamoured of the romance and charm of his wistful accordion and piano-driven music.
He is, however, not a composer of soundtracks, but a musician in his own right. Having spent the intervening years touring, collaborating and recording studio albums, he now returns with a book of sheet music with a conceptual backstory.
Eusa Book of Sheet Music will be released on 18 December, with each piece related to a his home on the island of Ushant, off the coast of Brittany – also known as Eusa in Breton.
“Ushant is more than just a home – it’s a part of me. The idea was to make a map of the island and, by extension, a map of who I am. To begin with I chose 10 locations on the island and made a series of field recordings at each of them,” Tiersen explains. “The pieces of piano music I then went on to write are named after these locations, and the sheet music for each piece is accompanied by a GPS coordinate and a photograph of the site taken by Emilie Quinquis.”
Ahead of its release, listen to the world exclusive of his new composition, Porz Goret.
- The book of sheet music’s accompanying a website is eusasound.bzh. Tiersen will embark on a series of live dates in May, during which he will play a selection of solo piano and violin works.
