Rodolphe Burger

The territories that Rodolphe Burger and his insatiable musical appetite have gradually conquered are vast. For the last 15 years, he has multiplied his collaborations with his alter egos: author-composers like Alain Bashung for The Song of Songs and Jacques Higelin for the albums Amor Doloroso and Coup de foudre; exceptional instrumentalists like the guitarist James Blood Ulmer, the trumpet player Erik Truffaz and his tour companions, Julien Perraudeau and Alberto Malo; without forgetting those singers with a strong personality Françoise Hardy and Jeanne Balibar. But Rodolphe Burger also explores extra-musical territories, whose words, images and gestures are in resonance with his own universe. With the poet Pierre Alferi, he composed cinema-poems and offered a subtle sound track with silent movie sequences; with the choreographer Mathilde Monnier, he reinvented the links between music and dance; with Charles Berberian and Philippe Dupuy he forged a spectacular illustrated concert. Rodolphe Burger's personality cannot however be reduced to these assorted works. We recognise, out of a thousand others, a guitar chord signed Burger, a phrase sung by the former leader of the Kat Onoma group. In 2004, the Cour d'honneur of the Palais des papes already resonated with his rock and electric music. At the time, his concert opened with a few texts read by a long-time pal: Olivier Cadiot.

ADB, April 2010