Chartres

Swiss violinist Paul Giger seemed to bypass most critical radars in 1989 when he released Chartres, a set of mostly improvised pieces recorded in different areas of the eponymous cathedral. Giger is a lone artist of his instrument, making it sing, leap, and speak in ways you won’t hear under any other bow. Within a globally informed approach to rhythm and structure, he freely explores the margins of what four strings can do, emoting through extended techniques as one fluent in multiple languages. The finger tapping of “Labyrinth” and yearning qualities of “Crossing” are particularly noteworthy.