MoonStrike
Azica, 2022
8/10
The always impressive Apollo Chamber Players return with works by Jennifer Higdon, Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate and Pierre Jalbert, where a celebration of storytelling, space and folklore are illuminated by the outfit’s dynamic string interaction and narration by John Herrington.
Higdon’s “In The Shadow Of The Mountain” opens the listen with stirring and poetic strings unfolding with beauty and awe, where they spotlight the sounds and colors of the Great Smoky Mountains, where Higdon was raised.
In the middle, Tate’s “MoonStrike” displays swift, dizzying string prowess that also welcomes Herrington’s spoken word, who happens to the first American Indian citizen to fly in space. Deeper into the 7 movements, the setting turns dreamy amid the floating melodies, before finishing up on dense, quivering and firm playing.
The final track, “L’espirit du Nord (Spirit Of The North)”, by Jalbert, exits the listen with dancing strings and incredible attention to detail that meshes 3 French-Canadian folk songs into very adventurous, contemporary sounds.
The Apollo Chamber Players consists of Matthew J. Detrick (violin), Anabel Ramirez Detrick (violin), Whitney Bullock (viola) and Matthew Dudzik (cello), and this 6th album continues their inestimable, multi-cultured, rhythmic chamber sounds that we could never tire of.
Travels well with: Apollo Chamber Players- With Malice Toward None; John-Henry Crawford- Dialogo