Seasons
Navona, 2022
8/10
The composer John Mitchell finds himself in excellent company here, where the Benda Quartet, i.e. Jakub Černohorský (violin), Ondřej Pustějovský (violin), Petr Benda (viola) and Tomáš Svozil (cello) help him flesh out a very nature-esque version of chamber sounds.
“Spring” starts the listen with the jumpy strings ebbing and flowing between each other as the quartet work together synergistically with much flow, and this leads into the agile violins and moody cello of the stirring “Summer”, which is also quite soothing.
The back half of the listen offers the emotive and absorbing “Autumn”, where furious string interaction as well as calmer moments of sublime string manipulation make this the best track, and “Winter” exits the listen with intense moments laced with a cinematic quality that are met with introspective bouts of grace.
The seasons are all represented with much attention to detail across this fascinating listen, as Mitchell and company bring much beauty and emotion to the changing of seasons in a way that no one else could replicate
Travels well with: Various Artists- Legends And Light Vol. 2; Trio Casals- Moto Finale