Seen
Redshift, 2022
8/10
An artist armed with impressive accordion skills, Joseph Petric has commissioned over 350 works over 4 decades, and here he explores the work of his closest collaborators with much attention to detail.
“Spirit Cloud” opens the listen with a warm atmosphere as the accordion is manipulated with both adventurousness and restraint that’s quite interesting and “SEEN”, by Norbert Palej, follows with a bit of low rumbling but can also be bright and dreamy in its bare delivery that’s spread out across 3 chapters.
On the back half, Robert May’s “Fadensonnen” spends 14 minutes mesmerizing us with its pretty, sometimes mysterious delivery, while “Pneuma”, by Peter Hatch, offers a more firm execution of cinematic, tense moments.
The final track, Torbjorn Lundquist’s “Metamorphoses”, unfolds with swift and dynamic prowess that hardly seems like it’s coming from just one accordion and truly illuminates Petric’s unparalleled talent.
An excellent body of work that explores electroacoustic and contemporary classical ideas, while a solo accordion listen may not be everyone’s cup of tea, Petric grabs the listener’s attention immediately.
Travels well with: Instruments Of Happiness- Slow, Quiet Music In Search Of Electric Happiness; Architek Percussion- 6 Changes