Mélancolie, Réminiscence, Nos rêves envolés

Morin is French-Canadian; he has studied jazz guitar and played various diverse styles of music along the way inc1uding big band, blues, and rock to name but three. I mention this because it impacts on his music to a certain extent.
Melancolie, at 120-crotchets-a-minute is actually quite fast a piece for such a mournful title! It is the harmony work that gives the piece its title however, beginning as it does on a strange arpeggio that almost defies key, before moving to the main first idea based around an altered E major rising arpeggio. The melody is in the middle of the arpeggio work here and all the chords are imaginative and slightly off kilter with harmonies that are tonal but somewhat unusual. After a repeat of the opening section the next idea slows the pace a little for a theme based on triplet quavers and semiquavers marked animato. Again the harmonies are distinctly individual and key structures are moving swimy all over the place but that only adds to its appeal. Section one returns for a brief coda interlaced with harmonies.
Reminiscence is a common time Larghetto which although having two sharps as its key signature almost deliberately stays away from the home key for quite a time, placing a certain tension to the proceedings. Eventually a B minor chord begins to take the reins with a mournful little idea. Then the section repeats, this time leading into a new idea that begins in the home key before introducing all manner of foreign chords that dislocate the listener's ear, eventually closing on an F sharp minor chord. From there the opening idea returns once more, this time leading to the coda.
Nos Rêves Envolés is a beautiful andante whose main them again relies on an imaginative juxtaposition of notes and arpeggios that is refreshingly unhackneyed. Mostly built around arpeggios for its entire length, this final piece is definitely a case of saving the best to the last. Meltingly beautiful, it goes in all manner of tonal directions before finally finding its way back just in time for the coda.
This was a smashing little set full of originality and flair with memorable ideas that sounding like nothing before - great!
Chris Dumigan (Classical Guitar Magazine)