Wapassou -

Wapassou was a French chamber-rock band that released six albums between 1974 and 1986, including the large-scale neo-classical works Messe en ré Mineur and Salammbô.

Members: Freddy Brua (keyboards), Jacques Lichti (violin), Karen Nickerl (guitar)

Background

Wapassou formed in 1972 in Strasbourg with keyboardist Freddy Brua, guitarist/bassist Karin Nickerl, violinist Jacques Lichti, and sound engineer Fernand Landmann. The core group used keyboards, guitar, bass, violin, and voice as its main configuration. Brua played organ, synthesizer, piano, and e-piano. Landmann handled acoustic equipment for the Prodisc sessions.

In early 1974, Wapassou issued “Femmes-Fleurs” b/w “Borgia” as a standalone single on A.P.G.F.

A. “Femmes-Fleurs” (2:49)

B. “Borgia” (2:32)

For their first album, Wapassou linked with Prodisc Strasbourg, an independent label steeped in French folk and classical music.

Wapassou

Wapassou released their self-titled debut album in 1974 on Prodisc Strasbourg.

Brua composed all five pieces and led the Wapassou core of Nickerl, Lichti, and Landmann, plus flutist Geneviève Moerlen, clarinetist Jean-Jacques Bacquet, sitarist Christian Laurent, bassist Jean-Pierre Schaal, drummer Jean-Michel Biger, and percussionist Benoît Moerlen.

“Mélopée” glides through a spare progression with a subdued chant-like top line. “Rien” veers through extended chamber-psych motion as sustained figures circle the voice. “Musillusion” retreats to acoustic spacing with clipped violin insets. “Châtiment” drones beneath muttered French phrases and a pulsed rhythm track. “Trip” dissolves from vaporous opening space into a long central jam, then drops to a breakbeat passage before the final sitar close.

A1. “Mélopée” (3:59)
A2. “Rien” [Nothing] (10:38)
A3. “Musillusion (Wapassou)” (3:54)

B1. “Châtiment” [Punishment] (6:48)
B2. “Trip” (13:37)

Wapassou Musique produced the album with engineer Robert Baum. The sleeve includes notes by Philippe Brassart, and the cover shows a black-and-white image of a woman against wave-lined ground.

Between albums, Wapassou linked with Crypto, the label venture of Ange manager Jean-Claude Pognant, who also signed Mona Lisa, Carpe Diem, Ocean, and Tangerine.

Messe en ré Mineur

Wapassou released their second studio album, Messe en ré Mineur, in 1976 on Crypto. The title translates as the self-descriptive Mass in D Minor.

Brua composed Messe as one 40-minute piece split across two side-length parts, recorded with Nickerl, Lichti, and Landmann, plus singer Eurydice.

Messe en ré Mineur intones one continuous mass sequence with sparse rhythm and long organ-held suspension. The soprano line overlaps the ensemble as wordless vocalise, not a lyric lead. Violin figures coil through the middle stretch and harden the chamber motion. Fugue-like development returns throughout the piece as repeated sequences darken the cadence. A late modal turn bends the harmonic line toward an Arabic-tinged passage before a severe final cadence.

A. “Messe en ré mineur, 1ère partie” (15:57)

B. “Messe en ré mineur, 2ème partie” (24:00)

Wapassou recorded Messe en ré Mineur at Azurville Studio in July 1976. Michel Lacour designed the front and back cover, which frames a blue field around a central organic image.

Salammbô

Wapassou released their third studio album, Salammbô, in 1978 on Crypto.

Brua composed two side-length pieces adapted from the 1862 historical novel by French author Gustave Flaubert, whose work concerned the Truceless War (241–237 BCE). Wapassou retained Nickerl and Lichti for this work, recorded with singer Monique Fizelson and voice artist Jean-Pierre Massiera.

Salammbô intones its opening section through eerie Latin phrases before the suite thins into slow chamber suspension. “Salammbô, Part 1” hovers around austere voice placement, sustained keyboard haze, and sharp high-register ascents. Fuzz-edged guitar figures roughen the darker passages without breaking the long suite contour. “Salammbô, Part 2” swells toward its central peak through denser ensemble motion and a lifted upper line. The final section resolves in theatrical cadence, with wordless voice locked to the album’s severe ritual character.

A. “Salammbô, 1ère partie” (18:04)

B. “Salammbô, 2ème partie” (19:05)

Wapassou recorded Salammbô in September 1977 at Studio 16 in Antibes with producer Jean-Claude Pognant and sound engineer Fernand Landmann. Bernard Belan, Landmann, Frédéric Fizelson, and P. Bucco handled recording and mixing. The sleeve uses a Gustave Doré illustration.

Ludwig, un Roi pour l’Eternité

Wapassou released their fourth studio album, Ludwig, un Roi pour l’Eternité, in 1979 on Crypto. The title translates as Ludwig: A King for Eternity.

Brua composed the title suite and two short closing pieces. He recorded the album with Wapassou members Nickerl, Lichti, and Landmann, plus lighting designer Gisèle Landmann, singer Véronique Nickerl, and guest keyboardist Marc Dolisi.

Ludwig, un Roi pour l’Eternité intones around an extended title hymn, with repeated wordless syllables set against heavy synthesizer and sustained violin lines. “Ludwig” drones through a solemn sequence where the sung part acts as added tone within the ensemble. “Le Lac de Starnberg 1886” narrows the scale to a miniature interlude after the title span. “L’Adieu au Roi” recedes into a compact farewell cadence. “Hymne au nouveau romantisme” brightens the closing segment with a shorter hymn form.

A. “Ludwig – Un Roi pour l’Eternité” (18:00) – Brua

B1. “Ludwig (Suite) – Un Roi pour l’Eternité” (16:02) – Brua
B2. “Lac de Starnberg – 1886” [Lake Starnberg – 1886] (1:16) – Wagner
B3. “L’Adieu au Roi” [Farewell to the King] (2:10) – Brua

Wapassou recorded and mixed Ludwig, un Roi pour l’Eternité in November 1978 at Omega Studio in Strasbourg with producer Jean-Claude Pognant and sound engineers Francis Adams and Fernand Landmann. Jacques Lichti provided the album artwork.

Genuine

Wapassou released their fifth studio album, Genuine, in 1980 on Sterne.

Brua composed seven songs with English lyrics by producer Claude Lorang. He recorded the album with Wapassou members Nickerl, Lichti, and Landmann, plus singer Christine Maillard, drummer Francis Mouss Gentel, Dolisi, and trumpeter Charly Kolb.

Genuine clips Wapassou’s earlier suite scale into short song-led pieces, with Maillard’s lead lines interwoven with full-band arrangements. “L’Étranger” marks the opening with electronic pad accents beneath the sung phrase. “Phenix Ode” repeats those accents inside the same compact form. The middle stretch sets polished synthesizer figures against violin lines in compact sequences. “Torquemada” sprawls beyond the shorter pieces as an instrumental coda.

A1. “L’Étranger” [The Stranger] (3:15)
A2. “Phenix Ode” [Phoenix Ode] (3:20)
A3. “Genuine” (4:40)
A4. “Quien Sabe” [Who Knows] (5:00)

B1. “Late Revenge” [Late Revenge] (4:15)
B2. “Concertino” [Concertino] (3:18)
B3. “Torquemada” [Torquemada] (11:30)

Wapassou recorded Genuine in July 1980 at Möhrensound Studio in Möhrendorf, Germany, with producer Claude Lorang. Sterne lifted “L’Étranger” as a 1980 single (b/w “Phenyx Ode”).

In the gap between albums, Freddy Brua served as correction master on the 1983 live release by Serge Bringolf & Strave.

Orchestra 2001 – Le lac d’argent

Wapassou released their final album, Orchestra 2001 – Le lac d’argent, in 1986 on Omega Studio.

Brua composed eight pieces across two sides of shorter-form material. He recorded the album with Wapassou members Nickerl and Lichti, plus drummer Dominique Metz, guest guitarist Rémy Weiss, and singers Patrick Alès and Sylvia B.

Le lac d’argent sets wordless voice inside concise full-band pieces, with keyboard-led harmony and violin lines carrying the upper-register motion. The tracks follow classically shaped phrases through measured sequences and formal cadences.

A1. “Jericho” (3:22)
A2. “Ballade pour Gwendoline” [Ballad for Gwendoline] (3:00)
A3. “Ode au matin” [Ode to the Morning] (3:57)
A4. “Lac d’argent” [Silver Lake] (6:45)

B1. “Orchestra 2001” (4:49)
B2. “Introduction pour un rêve” [Introduction for a Dream] (2:08)
B3. “Printemps de paix” [Spring of Peace] (4:26)
B4. “Kingston Opera” (3:22)

Wapassou recorded Orchestra 2001 – Le lac d’argent at R.B.O. Studio in Strasbourg with producer Michel Schatz and engineers Fernand Landmann and Philippe Batilliot.

Discography: