Yann Tiersen - L’absente (Piano Solo)

Yann Tiersen is no doubt a genius composer and multi-instrumentalist. However, the vast majority of people who recognize him probably only know him as the composer of the soundtrack of the 2001 movie “Amélie“. Although I myself too like a few of the instrumental compositions for that soundtrack, in my eyes, Tiersen is primarily a brilliant pianist with a very unique style across his entire discography. “L’absente“, a solo piano piece released on an album from the same year as the above movie, is a great piece of evidence that Tiersen is a masterful artist. It starts off slowly, then picks up the tempo in the spirited middle section only to slow down again and build up a tension before the grand finale. The final part hits the unsuspecting listener by surprise, being very fast and dynamic. The ending is extremely challenging to play with its quickly alternating staccato and legato segments with peculiar dynamics. It takes an exquisite technique to make the ending soun