Soundscapes
Navona, 2022
8/10
The award winning composer Peter Knell brings us 3 very poetic and artistic compositions that use strings and vocals with plenty of natural imagery and fluid chamber prowess that’s as timeless as it is accomplished.
“Canciones De Agua” opens the listen with Ingeborg Danz’s stunning alto and Peter Stein’s chilling violin across 5 chapters of expressive, intimate and adventurous song craft, and “String Quartet No.2 (Three California Landscapes)” follows with Alyssa Park and Shalini Vijayan handling violin, Luke Maurer on viola and Timothy Loo’s cello interacting with mystery and grace that’s quite mesmerizing in its fascinating string manipulation.
“Seven Last Words (After Paintings By Rolf Stein)” exits the listen with just Stein’s stirring violin populating the sometimes bare, other times firm moments of sublime musicianship.
A very fluid display of 21st century sounds in the area of string quartets, vocal music and meticulous chamber song craft, Knell and company make for a very alluring and memorable listening experience.
Travels well with: Michael Murray- Passages; Jeffrey Derus- From Wilderness