L'Infonie was an avant-garde Québécois chamber ensemble under the direction of composers Walter Boudreau and Raôul Duguay.[1][2] They produced four albums between 1969 and 1974, after which the project ended. It was intended both as a music group and a new approach to collective improvisation; Duguay published its manifesto in 1970. The group released a number of albums on the avant-garde side of Quebec's progressive rock and jazz-rock scenes before dissolving in 1973.[3] The ensemble was highly influential in the Montreal avant-garde music scene, and their albums became sought-out collectors items.[4]

L'Infonie
OriginMontreal, Quebec, Canada
Genres
Years active1967-1974
Past members
  • Walter Boudreau
  • Raôul Duguay
  • Jacques Beaudoin
  • Jean Grimard
  • Jean Préfontaine
  • Michel Lefrançois
  • Pierre Daigneault
  • Ysengourd Knörh
  • Yves Charbonneau

The ensemble's third album, Vol. 333, was re-released on vinyl in 2016 by Montreal label Mucho Gusto.[5]

L'Infonie inachevée

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L'Infonie inachevée, a 1973 documentary film by Roger Frappier about the ensemble, won the Canadian Film Award for Best Sound at the 25th Canadian Film Awards,[6] before going into wider release in 1974.

A restored version of the film was screened as part of the 2022 Festival du nouveau cinéma's Estival program of summer repertory screenings, before going into commercial release in 2023.[7]

Discography

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  • 1969: Vol. 3
  • 1971: Vol. 33: le Mantra
  • 1972: Vol. 333
  • 1974: Vol. 3333

References

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  1. ^ "Walter Boudreau biography". Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  2. ^ Martin, Gabriel (2013-07-30). "Infonie, l'". Dictionnaire des onomastismes québécois: les mots issus de nos noms propres (in French). Éditions du Fleurdelysé. p. 87. ISBN 978-2-9814025-0-9.
  3. ^ Québec Info Musique: Raôul Duguay, Biographie, accessed 14 December 2010.
  4. ^ Couture, François. "L'Infonie Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  5. ^ Desfossés, Félix B. (2016-12-15). "L'Infonie de retour sur vinyle : la troisième naissance de Raôul Duguay et Walter Boudreau". Radio-Canada (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  6. ^ Maria Topalovich, And the Genie Goes To...: Celebrating 50 Years of the Canadian Film Awards. Stoddart Publishing, 2000. ISBN 0-7737-3238-1. pp. 111-114.
  7. ^ Stéphane Baillargeon, "Les folies créatrices de L’Infonie". Le Devoir, January 14, 2023.