Barefoot
New Focus, 2024
9/10
The composer Tina Davidson is aligned with the Jasper String Quartet and the pianist Natalie Zhu for these 6 detailed and memorable chamber selections.
“Tremble” opens with J. Freivogel’s stirring violin and Rachel Henderson Freivogel’s elegant cello that meet at a very graceful intersection, and “Barefoot” follows with 10+ minutes of atmosphere via calm violin and Andrew Gonzalzes’ moody viola that suit Zhu’s mesmerizing keys.
“Wepan” and “Hush” land in the middle, where the former tugs on the heartstrings with the string manipulation from Karen Kim’s violin, while the latter illustrates meticulous fingers from Zhu amid the aching violin.
“Leap” finishes with 2 chapters, where Freivogel’s precise cello weaves in and out of the swirling piano for the record’s best that, on the back half, gets quite animated.
A body of work with a wealth of emotion and no lack of color, this is a highly personal chamber outing that illustrates the depths of Davidson’s talent and vision.
Travels well with: Kate Soper- The Romance Of The Rose; Richard Carrick- lanterne