PRESS REVIEWS - CLIPPINGS
Xavier Seoane
“Magic, Sensuality, Solidarity, Mystery. These are some of the traits to be found in the songs written by poet and composer Antonio Placer. Add to that a sense of elevation. Breathe poetry into it. For, just as words in his mouth blend with music, the warm voice that sounds so near creates inseparable ties between diction and emotion. He is doubtless a troubadour, both cosmopolitan and contemporary, sensitive to a broad range of sources and traditions, even though his outlook is definitely modern. Antonio Placer turns his attention to the world around as does the Wind Rose, a most seductive and inspiring instrument, and draws the lessons of it all with decanted sensibility– for he has vowed to remain true to his feelings and to engage in radical soul-searching. Deep down, you still find communication, a lighthouse, with music and words locked in an embrace. One cannot but be moved and carried away. In this, his vocation is to emulate Orpheus and Adam. All exiles eventually form nations.”
Xavier Seoane, Galician poet, 2005
Epok
“The young Galician immigrant’s voice is as strange as it is moving. Making use of every source in Latin culture, the not-so-remote cousin of Astor Piazzolla’s is an absolute must.”
Gérald Arnaud, Epok, a FNAC magazine, September 2004
World music magazine
“My artistic progress reflects the variety of my background, of the several cultures I harbour which have shaped my life as an individual: Hispano-Sephardic, Galician, Napolitan, and Cuban. The languages associated with those cultures add different sounds to my singing: Galician, Portuguese, Castilian, Catalan, Italian, Napolitan, Sardinian, French, Occitan… as well as an imaginary language of my own which I keep working at.” Galician Antonio Placer certainly had high ambitions when he set out to produce this splendid album dedicated to the “feminine principle” in love and life at large. His hand-picked companions include, first, friend Elena Ledda from Sardinia whose powerful, hieratic voice provides the descant to a meeting brimming with life, then the finest musicians from the Mediterranean region, and additional guests from the South. Other notable contributors are Mauro Palmas et Gavino Murgia. But enough with the hall of fame, let us simply focus on the proficiency of Antonio Placer as poet and as musician, for he writes compelling songs filled with one thousand cultures, of which he is possessed, and weaves incredible arrangements. To miss that point would be a sin.”
Guido Festinese, World music magazine, April 2004
Classica
“There’s this thing about artists and sportsmen: some of them are just outrageously talented. Galician singer and guitarist Antonio Placer, some of whose earlier works were already highly commendable, viz. Nomades d’ici (2000) and Un poco cielo, un poco tierra (1997) fits into that description. Mr Placer seems to know no musical boundaries, and his instrument playing is free from any clumsiness. While listening to him, you suddenly realize you are softly whistling along a pop-like tune or a melancholy melody with the same ease. The freedom with which he turns notes into music and words into poetry is an absolute knockout. [...] Just as amazing is how effectively the ‘medium haul’ routes he travels broaden our musical horizons. [...] In embracing a vast Mediterranean zone, Placer is vindicating a universal art form which, here, borders on the sublime.”
Hervé Guilleminot, Classica. Antonio Placer’s CD Pain de Guenille has been recommended by Classica, April 2002
Libération
“Placer hails from Galicia but he has been nourished by the story-telling of his mountainous refuge on the French side of the Alpes, a land that has played host to countless political, religious, social, or even cultural exiles. He writes sweet songs, but they are firmly held by steel cables, as he revisits Europe’s age-old musical styles. Antonio Placer on this occasion is supported by Elena Ledda from Sardinia, one of the greatest female voices in neo-traditional European music as well as a discoverer who will travel anywhere to hear the local folk music.”
Bouziane Daoudi, Libération, February 2002
Le Dauphiné Libéré
“A lyricist and songwriter, a performer, an arranger, he distils music –every note is precious to him– as would some sort of alchemist experimenting with life.”
C. Ferrero, Le Dauphiné Libéré, 2000
Messaggero Veneto
“Last night’s concert came as a magnificent surprise: Siria, by Antonio Placer, a folk singer with jazzy leanings, was just fascinating. This must rank as one of the top two events in the festival – along with the John Scofield concert, which was totally different. The Galician-born musician (…) mesmerized the audience for almost two hours, with all those that gathered at the Roma auditorium to attend the last but one Gorizia Jazz 2006 concert, organised by Controtempo and the City, finding themselves totally involved emotionally.”
Messaggero Veneto), April 2006
World, musiques, destinations
“A marvellous, self-taught musician, with a vibrant, radiant, feverish and often deeply moving voice. Through his songs as well as his orchestrations, he comes up with an utterly original synthesis bringing together the very best in today’s Latin culture…”
Gérald Arnaud, World, musiques, destinations, January 2005
Xavier Seoane
“Magic, Sensuality, Solidarity, Mystery. These are some of the traits to be found in the songs written by poet and composer Antonio Placer. Add to that a sense of elevation. Breathe poetry into it. For, just as words in his mouth blend with music, the warm voice that sounds so near creates inseparable ties between diction and emotion. He is doubtless a troubadour, both cosmopolitan and contemporary, sensitive to a broad range of sources and traditions, even though his outlook is definitely modern. Antonio Placer turns his attention to the world around as does the Wind Rose, a most seductive and inspiring instrument, and draws the lessons of it all with decanted sensibility– for he has vowed to remain true to his feelings and to engage in radical soul-searching. Deep down, you still find communication, a lighthouse, with music and words locked in an embrace. One cannot but be moved and carried away. In this, his vocation is to emulate Orpheus and Adam. All exiles eventually form nations.”
Xavier Seoane, Galician poet, 2005
Epok
“The young Galician immigrant’s voice is as strange as it is moving. Making use of every source in Latin culture, the not-so-remote cousin of Astor Piazzolla’s is an absolute must.”
Gérald Arnaud, Epok, a FNAC magazine, September 2004
World music magazine
“My artistic progress reflects the variety of my background, of the several cultures I harbour which have shaped my life as an individual: Hispano-Sephardic, Galician, Napolitan, and Cuban. The languages associated with those cultures add different sounds to my singing: Galician, Portuguese, Castilian, Catalan, Italian, Napolitan, Sardinian, French, Occitan… as well as an imaginary language of my own which I keep working at.” Galician Antonio Placer certainly had high ambitions when he set out to produce this splendid album dedicated to the “feminine principle” in love and life at large. His hand-picked companions include, first, friend Elena Ledda from Sardinia whose powerful, hieratic voice provides the descant to a meeting brimming with life, then the finest musicians from the Mediterranean region, and additional guests from the South. Other notable contributors are Mauro Palmas et Gavino Murgia. But enough with the hall of fame, let us simply focus on the proficiency of Antonio Placer as poet and as musician, for he writes compelling songs filled with one thousand cultures, of which he is possessed, and weaves incredible arrangements. To miss that point would be a sin.”
Guido Festinese, World music magazine, April 2004
Classica
“There’s this thing about artists and sportsmen: some of them are just outrageously talented. Galician singer and guitarist Antonio Placer, some of whose earlier works were already highly commendable, viz. Nomades d’ici (2000) and Un poco cielo, un poco tierra (1997) fits into that description. Mr Placer seems to know no musical boundaries, and his instrument playing is free from any clumsiness. While listening to him, you suddenly realize you are softly whistling along a pop-like tune or a melancholy melody with the same ease. The freedom with which he turns notes into music and words into poetry is an absolute knockout. [...] Just as amazing is how effectively the ‘medium haul’ routes he travels broaden our musical horizons. [...] In embracing a vast Mediterranean zone, Placer is vindicating a universal art form which, here, borders on the sublime.”
Hervé Guilleminot, Classica. Antonio Placer’s CD Pain de Guenille has been recommended by Classica, April 2002
Libération
“Placer hails from Galicia but he has been nourished by the story-telling of his mountainous refuge on the French side of the Alpes, a land that has played host to countless political, religious, social, or even cultural exiles. He writes sweet songs, but they are firmly held by steel cables, as he revisits Europe’s age-old musical styles. Antonio Placer on this occasion is supported by Elena Ledda from Sardinia, one of the greatest female voices in neo-traditional European music as well as a discoverer who will travel anywhere to hear the local folk music.”
Bouziane Daoudi, Libération, February 2002
Le Dauphiné Libéré
“A lyricist and songwriter, a performer, an arranger, he distils music –every note is precious to him– as would some sort of alchemist experimenting with life.”
C. Ferrero, Le Dauphiné Libéré, 2000
Messaggero Veneto
“Last night’s concert came as a magnificent surprise: Siria, by Antonio Placer, a folk singer with jazzy leanings, was just fascinating. This must rank as one of the top two events in the festival – along with the John Scofield concert, which was totally different. The Galician-born musician (…) mesmerized the audience for almost two hours, with all those that gathered at the Roma auditorium to attend the last but one Gorizia Jazz 2006 concert, organised by Controtempo and the City, finding themselves totally involved emotionally.”
Messaggero Veneto), April 2006
World, musiques, destinations
“A marvellous, self-taught musician, with a vibrant, radiant, feverish and often deeply moving voice. Through his songs as well as his orchestrations, he comes up with an utterly original synthesis bringing together the very best in today’s Latin culture…”
Gérald Arnaud, World, musiques, destinations, January 2005
La Terrasse
“A tenor with a magnetic diction, Antonio Placer loves words –uplifting words which hit the human soul. In the course of a twelve-year long career and six albums, […] the Galicia-born performer from Grenoble has fashioned a broad-ranging repertoire, letting us explore the nature of things and providing us with an insight into the deeper self . His music is rooted in Hispanic rhythms which he uses as he pleases. Celebrating deep-felt beauty, Placer is a soul-sharing poet.”
V. Fara, La Terrasse, June 2005
Rhône’Alp 1
“What a great concert, what magnificent songs, what remarkable harmonies, and such intensity in the performance! As you have guessed, that night will have left an indelible impression on us, so much so that when listening to the CD we cannot but be moved to tears, and we are bound to recollect the highlights of Antonio and his musicians’ show on stage. The set-up looked rather austere at first sight, but as it turned out, it grew warmer and the listeners were caught in by the songs. The three-piece band and the nearness of the audience with the performers create a sense of involvement –you just share in the experience.”
Franck Pelissier, Rhône’Alp 1, November 2005
Guitare Classique
“The music of the Galician artist living in Dauphiné stems from words… he seems always to hit upon the right phrase to express a feeling… Siria is a mysteriously timeless masterpiece of sensibility, enhanced by an amazing voice and enthralling musical arrangements.”
Romano Alfieri, Guitare Classique, October 2005
Le Monde de la Musique
“[...] Poetic discourse is constantly central to his work, pregnant with meaning which is at times quite dense, at some other point much lighter, often striking a chord while retaining a subtly playful tone [...] [Antonio Placer’s] singing conveys much the same sort of enjoyment as lips kissing and hands working flour into dough.”
Francisco Cruz, Le Monde de la Musique, 2005
Le Monde de la Musique
“Galician-born Antonio Placer is more of a poet than a mere author of lyrics, albeit an inspired one. His albums are truly out of the ordinary: rather than a singer, call him a musician who sings, always backed by top musicians as well. Free from constraint, as it seems, the poetry inspires superb melodies, suggests playful changes of pace or twists in harmony, triggers unexpected chords or tension and release –the sort of musical arrangements not commonly found in light entertainment.”
Francisco Cruz, Le Monde de la Musique, 2000
Carles Duarte
“Living is a bit like drawing a map of the world as one sees it. In learning to construct ourselves, for a short while, we step into the shoes of others who trundle along by our side, just as they step into ours. Tenderness, dream and oblivion, joy and pain are the stuff our days are made of. Antonio Placer speaks out, rendering subtle shades of meaning in fine tones, while still sounding vigorous and warm. His music is rooted in landscapes, bringing out beauty and sensibility through a journey across the geography of emotions and memories. Siria conjures up bright sunlight and mystery, fertile expanses and the sinewy silence of desert land, skin contact stroking us into existence, tears: it reflects the ever-changing pace of a life experience we can all identify with.”
Carles Duarte, Catalan poet, 2005
sixmoons.com
Antonio Placer is a singer. He does not work as a singer, he is a singer. Every fiber in his being sings. That said, some of his recordings can be a bit much, with his vocal inflections tiresome at times. But not so in Cancionista. This recording begs to be repeated after the first listening. Placer assembled some very nice voices around himself to perform his compositions. The great vocal talents of Sardinian singer Elena Ledda, Simonetta Soro with her background in ancient music and Jakes Aymonino adding baroque knowledge mix well together. On the instrumental side, Placer invited jazz and classical pianist Jean-Marie Machado and guitarist Stracho Temelkovski, the latter also known for his rock and electronica work. So there is a wide variety of musical backgrounds coursing around Antonio Placer and it works out beautifully, with styles like opera and tango flamenco flavored with colors and tastes form around the Mediterranean. This results in theatrical, almost vaudeville-like effects. Traces of the old Zappa on Cuba even shine through in "Para Bakum Kunkera" before it kicks into full swing-piano-driven frenzy. The singer in every cell of Placer's body is not self-centred and makes plenty of room for the other great voices. The poet in Placer leads to long operatic lyrics, only a few times reaching too high into his ultimately limited upper tenor register. Where interaction with other singers and instrumentalists occurs, the captivating tension returns and Placer's voice gets really interesting in expressing his emotion. With all these influences incorporated into a unique mix, Antonio Placer creates a whole new style of beautiful music. His creation rises well above the label of world music and for us, Cancionista is already a classic, a magical outing of musical eclecticism.
Marja Vanderloo - sixmoons.com, april 2007