Out March 10 on Arts & Crafts, sérénades is the solo piano companion to Blais' highly-successful 2022 album aubades, which was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize. Featuring intimate and atmospheric solo piano versions of key tracks from the album, “amour” and ”ouessant”, as well as three new compositions, sérénades is the nocturnal, stripped-back counterpart to the orchestral brightness of aubades. The EP has a powerful connection to the world of sleep and dreams, as Blais describes in his signature dry humour:

“This EP is the length of the recommended nap: 25 to 30 minutes. To be honest, I've never been able to listen to this EP without drifting into sleep. I normally try and make my music play with your attention by constantly introducing new elements. But with this EP I was thinking about music of the night. It’s not meant to distract you and keep you alert. Please fall asleep to it.”

One of these new tracks, "la chute (piano)" (‘The Fall’), continues a rich tradition of composers writing music specifically for the left hand, including works by composers such as Scriabin, Ravel, Bach and Chopin. ‘la chute’ was composed after Blais injured his right arm in a fall, leading him to channel his frustration into the piece.

“There was a moment there where I thought it was just finished for me as a pianist. It was quite a dark place which is why the song is not that happy. In the emergency room, they gave me morphine and ketamine, putting me in a state where I was completely disconnected from reality. My boyfriend had this denim coat with a woollen collar, and for some reason, I started dreaming about sheep in the alps, a shepherd, and the sheep's wool becoming clouds as I drifted into the sky. And suddenly there was Maurice Ravel who suddenly appeared on his own little cloud.

“When I came back to reality, the dream reminded me of this piece that Ravel wrote for his friend who lost his right arm in the First World War. So then, for fun, I just started playing with what remained (my left hand) and I composed ‘la chute’.”

Jean-Michel Blais is a French-Canadian pianist and composer based in Montreal. Growing up in rural Quebec, Blais began playing the organ at age 9, composing and taking piano lessons. He attended the Trois-Rivières Music Conservatory, training as a classical pianist, but eventually left music to travel and work as a social worker and special needs teacher. After rediscovering his passion for music, he returned to Montreal where he caught the attention of Toronto-based indie label Arts & Crafts.

Blais' debut album, Il, was released in 2016 to critical acclaim, reaching #1 on Billboard's Classical chart in Canada 14 times and earning a Polaris Music Prize long list nomination. He has continued to release albums, including his most recent, aubades, which was released in February 2022 and received positive critical reception. It was longlisted for the 2022 Polaris Music Prize and won the Félix Award for Instrumental Album of the Year.