HN vol.1 Interview: Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch
Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch is an award-winning French pianist/ composer currently living in London. Spanning film score, bespoke composition and sound design, her work is connected both by its high quality and its evocative, meticulous craft – a common sensibility of elegant, instinctual composition.
By Tom Berry
Hidden Notes vol.1
September 2019
Tell me about the Only You EP from the film of the same name which was recently released. What were you seeking to achieve with it?
The EP is a selection of four cues from my score for the film which I felt could be enjoyed as musical compositions away from the film.
Did you take much direction from Harry Wootliff, the Director?
It wasn't taking direction as much as taking advantage of her knowledge, discussing how the music could add a new layer to the story. Harry wrote and directed the film, had been developing it for years, which meant that her understanding of the characters, of the meaning of the story was absolute. She was very much interested in my response to the scenes and gave me a lot of stylistic freedom.
What is the balance you seek to create between natural and electronic sound?
I prefer to use sounds that come from an acoustic or analogue source, from something tangible. There's something captivation in the mix between familiarity and newness obtained by manipulating acoustic sounds.
You've made London your home, is this for personal or artistic reasons?
I moved here to study both my BA and Mmus as the approach to music in higher education was a lot more progressive than in France. Now, after 13 years, most of my friends and close collaborators are in the UK which makes it home.
Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch, Hidden Notes vol.1, September 2019 by James Styler
Your 2018 album Epoques was influenced by the Suffolk coast. Is a sense of place central to your work?
Yes but not always in an obvious or literal way. Often it's the sensation of being somewhere at a specific moment. For Époques it was the end of winter in Aldeburgh's open coastal landscape. The trees were still leafless, the colours muted but starting to turn. The sounds of waves, of pebbles, it finds its way into tracks such as The Only Water, or in the decision to have the string duet of A Trace of Salt playing unadorned, suspended in space, with silences, reflecting the aloneness I felt when watching birds chasing each other, gliding in the sky over a lake of reeds.
You've collaborated with Resina amongst others - do you prefer to collaborate or lead in your music making?It's a balance...I've never been in a band, and my music is often extremely personal, but I love collaborating with other musicians when there’s both differences and overlap in our sounds, like a musical Venn diagram. Collaborating with visual artists and filmmakers is fascinating. It's a chance to peak into the creative process of people who use a different art form to express themselves, I always learn a lot from that.
What equipment do you use for the live show?
Acoustic piano, laptop to run live effects, audio interface.
How would you describe your music to someone who hasn't heard it?
I still haven't worked out my elevator pitch I'm afraid...I tend to go for “Piano, instrumental, experimental”.
And what is the next project?!
I've recently finished the score for Sarah Gavron's feature Rocks and started writing new music of my own, maybe towards a new album.
W: emilielf.com Label: 130701.com
Tom Berry is a record shop proprietor, DJ and Minnie Riperton obsessive. He can be found propping up the counter at Sound Records in Stroud.