Illumination: Piano Works Of Victoria Bond
Albany, 2021
8/10
Listen to Illumination: Piano Works Of Victoria Bond
A collection of music that spans two decades of collaboration between Victoria Bond and pianist Paul Barnes, and where all four pieces revolve around the mystical quality of light, the appearances from the Slovak Radio Orchestra and Philharmony Bohuslav Martinu also make a significant impression across these 4 works.
“Illuminations On Byzantine Chant” start the listen, where Barnes’ incredible key acrobatics flow in and out of busy, cascading musicianship that spans furious moments as well as shimmering moments of intimacy in its 4 glowing chapters.
“Ancient Keys” resides in the middle and places the Slovak Radio Orchestra alongside Barnes keys, where Kirk Trevor’s conducting guides the woodwinds, brief chanting and soaring strings, while Philharmony Bohuslav Martinu’s presence on “Black Light” in initially quite intense, before segueing into cinematic moments amid the bouncy keys and firm percussion.
“Byzantine Chant” exits the listen with Barnes’ mesmerizing pipes that flow with a light ambience as he puts his experience chanting in the Greek Orthodox Church to good use.
Both Bond and Barnes have very impressive resumes, and together here with the orchestras they produce sounds that go as far back as 1997, but sound just as luminous today as the pair create powerful chamber, orchestral and classical sounds.
Travels well with: Jeremy Muller- Within The Within; Ingrid Arauco- Resonances