Cereus
New Focus, 2025
9/10
The composer Kay Rhie pens a portrait album of chamber pieces, where Leela Subramaniam, Winsor Music and the Aperture Duo illuminate her experiences as a South Korean artist residing in Los Angeles.
The title track leads with Winsor Music’s animated strings and wind making for an unpredictable and animated 13+ minutes, and “I Hear The Sound Of Trees” follows with Subramaniam’s soaring soprano amid Rachel Wolz’s frisky alto sax and Andreas Foivos Apostolou’s tense keys for the 5 chapters that can be calm just as they can be lively.
“…in the dreams of another…” resides on the back, and makes great use of Aperture Duo’s violin and viola via intimate versus cinematic swells, while “Suite From Quake” showcases Subramaniam’s distinct pipes amid Brandon Zhou’s warm keys and the textured strings and winds.
A striking effort that examines musical behaviors, curating the interaction between instruments, phrase length, motivic contour, every moment is very purposeful in its aesthetic appeal, and it makes for an enlightening listen.
Travels well with: Per Bloland- Shadows Of The Electric Moon; Amos Elkana- Que Sais-Je?