Le Revenant is a solo piano work inspired by Charles Baudelaire’s haunting poem of the same name, in which a ghostly figure returns from the grave to haunt—perhaps even possess—the beloved. The poem’s atmosphere is one of quiet menace and seductive dread, blending love, death, and the supernatural in true Baudelairean fashion. Musically, the piece unfolds as a slow-burning narrative, where shadowy harmonies, whispered motifs, and sudden, jarring contrasts evoke the presence of something unseen—lingering just beyond the edges of perception. The texture is often sparse, but always charged, as if each note carries the weight of unspoken memory. Repeated figures drift like echoes in a half-remembered dream, while low, tolling chords suggest a funeral procession frozen in time. This is not a piece of overt terror, but of quiet possession—where the line between beauty and horror blurs, and where the piano becomes a voice not only of the living but of the revenant who refuses to be forgotten.
"The contemporary offering is Jessup’s own work, Le Revenant (The Ghost), a mysterious improvisatory molto perpetuo inspired by a poem by Baudelaire, which reveals Jessup’s skill as a composer as well as a pianist. Skittering and unsettling, the music charts an intriguing path, leaving the listener to wonder where it might go next."
“Le Revenant (The Ghost), develops from its opening tritone theme into a mysterious, skittering moto perpetuo that is impressive for the quality of the playing, and its coherence as a composition."
"There is a sly intelligence running through this piece [Le Revenant] that I found entrancing. Yes, there are ghosts of other composers hovering around but Jessup the composer as much Jessup the pianist is very much his own man."
"This piece [Le Revenant] is a remarkable standout on a collection of already impressive tracks. From a dissonant beginning, the piece evolves into a wave of the unexpected, with a sharp, bouncy cadence and a permeating sense of darkness throughout. It’s absolutely intriguing and decidedly modern, leaving us extraordinarily interested in hearing more original works from Jessup."
"Striking, spacious and unsettling."
