Center Chamber
Ravello, 2022
8/10
The soprano and alto sax and connosax extraordinaire Paul Cohen brings winds, strings and keys to these original compositions that span intimacy, brooding and animated textures.
“Eclogues” starts the listen with Kathleen Nester’s dreamy flute and Oren Fader’s skilled guitar to complement the ominous appeal of Cohen’s creative connosax, and “Berceuse-Lament” follows with Cohen’s stirring alto sax amid Mark Timmerman’s agile bassoon and Anya Keiserman’s precise piano that’s layered meticulously.
In the middle, “Pavanne” showcases Urara Mogi, Maxim Zheleznyak, Richard Aulden Clark and Peter Prosser’s violins, viola and cello for the very focused bowing and plucking that’s quite mysterious, and that string quartet is present again for the moody and dynamic “Quintet For Connosax And String Quartet”.
The final piece, “Four Movements For Virtuosi”, is among the best, and meshes flute, soprano sax and piano for the cinematic, uniquely dark exit.
There’s a very distinct emotional presence across the listen, and the players certainly interact with incredible skill in both lively gestures and distinctly haunting bouts of very creative songwriting across this atypical chamber affair.
Travels well with: Avner Finberg- The Four Seasons Of Isolation; Ilja Hurník- Gratias