Her parents’ separation, combined with family bereavement; trying times that can trigger nostalgia. Viviane Audet locked herself away during the May of 2021 to compose 15 calm, soothing instrumental pieces, each barely more than three minutes long, on an old white piano from the Church of Richelieu vestry, which she had unearthed and restored.
“I used to spend about 45 minutes a day on my compositions, alone, recording myself with [the software] Cubase, while simultaneously writing out the chords in a notebook,” says Audet. “In retrospect, I lent myself to this creative exercise so as not to die. I was depressed. It was a question of survival.”
The mother of two boys – with her boyfriend, actor and musician Robin-Jöel Cool – has also released three albums of songs in the past few years, the most recent being the lavish Les nuits avancent comme des camions blindés sur les filles (2023). Audet is also a stage and film actor, and a screen composer (including Camion in 2013, winner of the Prix Jutra for best film score, as well as Les Rois mongols, Lafortune en papier, and the documentary Polytechnique: ce qu’il reste du 6 décembre). Her acting talents are also much in demand on television, with features roles in such series as Temps de Chien, Grande Ourse, and Le monde de Gabrielle Roy.
Le piano et le torrent, her personal, intimate second album of instrumental music, released on Jan. 31, 2025, achieves total bliss. “I’m surprised that it’s still at the top of the iTunes classical chart in Canada,” says Audet. “But neo-classical is very popular right now, and musicians like Alexandra Stréliski, with her talent and accessibility, are making this musical genre shine.”
An exile for the past 20 years from the small coastal village of Maria, in the Gaspésie, where she lived throughout her childhood, Audet experienced a visceral need to bring old memories, emotions, smells, and places to the surface. The project is a feverish, moving record; “it’s an album about roots and freedom,” says Audet. Maria inspired her to write “Les galeries,” “Le jour craque,” “La mer est folle,” “Balle au Mur,” “Plus le silence est grand, plus je t’aime,” and “Le Goéland. “All the titles of the 15 tracks were chosen four years after they were composed!” she says.
Select the image to access the YouTube video of the Viviane Audet song “Les Galeries”
The sound is meticulous, often minimalist. The pianist, with her delicate touch, takes us back to the modal jazz of Bill Evans and the dreamy music of Érik Satie. She says, “You can hear him in what I do, and for me he remains a reference in how he details his nuanced pieces. In fact, I’ve transcribed my own scores in his style.” She also takes on Keith Jarrett’s masterful use of silence, as well as her favorite, the Polish pianist Hania Rani, for the harmonic colors and chiaroscuro setting. Le piano et le torrent is produced by a unique expert on the recording console, Ghyslain-Luc Lavigne. Thanks to him, the sound has become richer and fuller, while remaining simple and effective.
Audet was so proud of the result that she sent a physical copy of Le piano et le Torrent to U.S. President Donald Trump! “I had one of those brain bubbles, or epiphanies, whichever you want to call it,” she says. “When he started talking about the 51st state, I woke up way too early one morning and thought, ‘I’ll send it to him!’ With the following note: Hello Mr. Trump, this record might calm you down a bit. Allow me to add a barlicoco, which is a small seashell found in my village of Maria. Just to remind you that every country has its own seashells.”
As a graceful musician, this Fall she’ll be joining in the traditional offerings of the earthy Mentana, the folk quartet of which she’s a member. Until then, she’ll be performing her Torrent on stage, accompanied by a harpist.