Relive
Navona, 2021
9/10
A collection of 3 artists from around the world, the Navona Live Series brings a diverse effort both musically and topically here, where Jane O’Leary, Peter Dickson Lopez and Corrina Bonshek all offer their inimitable talents.
O’Leary’s “From Sea-Grey Shores” starts the listen with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra handling the instrumentation that moves with tense strings, twinkling percussion and a very cinematic approach that’s mysterious, exhilarating and inviting.
The middle track, Lopez’s “The Ship Of Death”, is as ominous as its title, where busy bouts of jagged percussion, furious strings and experimental prowess from the chamber orchestra are also met with spirited and expressive tenor from Tom Buckner.
“Dreams Of The Earth”, by Corrina Bonshek, exits the listen, and welcomes the Ady Ensemble to a very precise display of sweeping strings in a glowing climate that’s filled with beauty and awe.
All the pieces here are recorded live, and the sound quality and performances are superb, as a D.H. Lawrence poem, inspiration from a flock of birds against a backdrop of climate change and the unpredictable landscape of Ireland provide the impetus for this very eclectic and timeless effort.
Travels well with: Various Artists- Mind & Machine: Organic & Electronic Works- Volume Three; Bill Whitley- Then Elephant Speaks