lanterne
New Focus, 2020
8/10
The composer Richard Carrick pens an album that involves compact spaces and was impacted by Covid guidelines, where a handful of musicians are in attendance for the rich chamber experience.
“La touche sonora sous l’eau” starts the listen with Marilyn Nonken’s skilled and diverse keys both mesmerizing and impressing us, and “Phosphéne” follows with a violin duo, where Pauline Kim and Conrad Harris manipulate their strings with intrigue and precision.
Further along, the title track allows Margaret Lancaster’s manipulated flute to show us a dimension to the instrument that’s unorthodox, while “Danga” hosts John Popham’s animated cello and Carrick’s mature piano for the lively and meticulous album highlight.
Close to the end, “sandstone(s)” meshes the New York New Music Ensemble and musicians of the Gugak Contemporary Orchestra for a particularly ambient and atypical climate, and “Space:Time” exits with the Mivos Quartet present for the indeed sci-fi friendly string interaction.
An exciting body of work where each piece carries its own unique presence, from bare to busy moments, the wealth of Carrick’s vision is represented splendidly.
Travels well with: Eric Huebner- Désordre; Louis Karchin- Dark Mountains/Distant Lights