Recollection GRM’s unearthing and revitalisation of its rich archive of avant garde and music concrète recordings this time offers up three long compositions from Bernard Parmegiani, from between 1964 and 1971.

The title track “Violistries” (1964) spends most of its first half littered with violinist Devy Erlih’s staccato stabs and squeals that feel skittish and impatient, but then takes a deep sombre dive in its second act with a combination of low drone and strained string that sounds decidedly horror-movie-ish, quite Kubrickian, sinister and not for the faint-hearted.

“Capture éphémère” (1967) is fascinatingly different, an electroacoustic array of phased drone sounds, breathy vocalisations and radiophonic sci-fi buzzes and zaps from the lower end of the frequency spectrum, interspersed with periods of impulsive, dense, chaotic atmospherics. Contrary to the previous piece, this work gets busier rather than gentler overall, but not predictably or consistently. Originally recorded as a quadraphonic work, this is a 1988 stereo version that despite the channel limitations, still feels immersive and encompassing. It would certainly have sounded amazing live.

“La Roue Ferris” (1971) is a far more scientific work, solely focussed on electronics, short and long wave patterns (from or inspired by a Ferris wheel’s spin), and long overlapping resonances that become their own textures. There’s a melody at play here, a short three-note pattern that emerges out of the overlapping and loops at length, with the occasional unexpected shift keeping proceedings tense. Some overlaid slams and percussive hammering adds a surprisingly aggressive human touch.

This is a very diverse range of pieces, that without the label, you could certainly believe were the work of three different composers. Putting them together in one collection frames them nicely though, and the progression between them feels musically logical rather than just chronological.

I would recommend that you ignore the oddly naive cover artwork, which mis-sells the depth and compositional maturity on display here. For people like myself not already familiar with Parmegiani, the Recollection series offers up another release that, with hindsight, was ahead of its time.