Distancia
3AM Fish, 2023
8/10
A emotive listen that takes us on a ride through the dark part of the pandemic to the love and hope that guided us through it, Toronto’s Solidaridad celebrates women composers with these 12 rich pieces.
After the brief reading of the poem “Winter’s Coming”, “Derive”, by Pétalo Selser, follows with Sybil Shanahan’s flowing cello and bright violin from Aparna Halpé and Suhashini Arulanadam for the expressive climate.
In the middle, “Variación” makes great use of Elizabeth Acker’s playful piano amid Esme Allen-Creighton’s stirring viola, while “The Corner” spotlights Valeria Matzner’s colorful vocals alongside the dynamic strings and rumbling keys.
Landing near the end, the eloquent and textured “El Adiós” benefits much from Shannon Wojewoda’s bass and Eva Wolff’s bandoneón that illuminates both tense and light bursts, and “Charrúa” exits the musical portion with rhythmic and danceable ideas that carry a global spirit.
A record that embraces tango, rock, candombe, murga, milonga and vannam rhythms, each track here is a cultured and substantial display that places 3 sincere and topical poems.
Travels well with: John Herberman- Spring Comes Early; Peripheral Vision- We’ve Got Nothing