The son of peasants, Gaston CoutE - he died in 1911 aged 31 - became a brilliant young poet who advocated free will. From the broad plains of his native Beauce to cabarets in Montmartre, the works he left behind him carry humanism of astonishing power. He called himself the feller who went bad and, writing in French or patois, he gave voice to the disillusion of the Belle Epoque and its unequal, bellicose and natio nalistic society in the throes of industrialization. His works have a universal, modern symbolism thanks to his unique feeling for words and rhythm. This retrospective deals with 30 years of explorations by GErard Pierron, an artist-artisan and composer of invaluable melodies whose perfor mances of Gaston CoutE's work in a musical setting are central to Pierron's artistic career. GErard Pierron provides a magnifi cent, invigorating reading of this nobly spiritual heritage. Augustin BONDOUX & PATRICK FREMEAUX