Stepping into the musical universe of Groupe OC is to embark on a journey to new horizons beyond the reaches of time. At the beginning of the adventure, Christian Salès got together with a group of like-minded artists and fused modernity with tradition, the heritage of Occitan civilisation with modern-day techniques. OC has released ten albums including a live recording from the medieval town of Carcassonne. The group's discography is now a reference in the sector, living up to expectations triggered by the success of its first opus, a gold-record winner. The album OC Live was recorded in Carcassonne medieval city, in live.
"Tapping into imagination and sharing the resultant universe have always guided my compositions," explains Christian Salès. Lengthy research enabled Christian Salès to create copies of musical instruments that 12th-century troubadours would have played. OC then developed its own instruments, harnessing more synthetic sounds generated by new technologies. TV channel Arte picked up on their sound and used music from OC's "Cathares" album for the soundtrack of a "Théma" programme devoted to the Cathars. Then followed "Electro-médiéval" and "Paratge", recorded with the Budapest National Orchestra: a symphony in the form of four movements inspired by the benevolence and humanism advocated by the Cathars. Still in the same style, but exploring a different period of history, "Ballade Occitane" takes us back to the days of the Sun King, when the traditional repertoire from Languedoc featured strongly among "the fine songs in the Occitan tradition". Sincerity, authenticity and passion are at the heart of Groupe OC's philosophy. They would have it no other way.
Jo et Christian Salès jouent de l'organistrum dans la cour du château de Puivert
DiscographyOC © Wagram 1999 © CS PROD 2005-2012 Les Cathares © CS PROD 2002 Electro-Medieval © CS PROD 2005 Lugdunum Antic music © CS PROD 2005 OC Live © CS PROD 2009 OC CATHARES La Croisade © CS PROD 2010 PARATGE Symphonie Occitane © CS PROD 2012 Belles Chansons de la tradition occitane © CS PROD 2012-2015 Ballade Occitane © CS PROD 2014 Heritage © CS PROD 2018 |