Hours
Albany, 2024
8/10
The composer and pianist Cecil Price Walden is joined by Alice Anne Light for these 16 vocal and key focused tracks that emit much beauty.
“Hours: I. Will There Really Be a Morning?” starts the listen with Light’s expressive pipes alongside soft and dreamy keys, and it isn’t long until “Hours: IV. Why Dost Thou Shade Thy Lovely Face?” carries a playful mood of dancing piano alongside the soaring vocals.
Moving into the middle, “Hours: VIII. Ubi Sunt” is particularly intimate and powerful via the unparalleled singing, while “Hours: XI. Passage II” is a loud and rumbling moment of dense keys that are both turbulent and intriguing.
Closer to the end, “Hours: XII. Spring Torrents” flows with much beauty and grace via the melodic key progressions and bright vocals, and “Hours: XVI. Dona Nobis Pacem” exits with sublime prettiness and poeticism that tugs on the heartstrings.
The pair work together with incredible fluidity, where calm versus louder musicianship emits tremendous skill and care that is very much appreciated.
Travels well with: Eric Kutz- The Six Cello Suites Of J.S. Bach; Bradley Ellingboe- StarSong