Lock & Key III
Navona, 2023
8/10
The Lock & Key series continues with a 3rd installment, where a brand new roster of artists have their work fleshed out by a pair of ensembles and both duo and trio settings.
“Holckenhavn Quartet”, by Ray Fahrner, opens the listen with the Brno Contemporary Orchestra’s stirring string interaction, where Lukáš Mik and Barbara Tolarová’s precise violins playing won’t go unnoticed, and “Trolls” follows with Rane Moore’s clarinet and Mike Williams’ marimba populating the unique textures of the dreamy, expressive climate of the William Toutant piece.
In the middle, Malcolm Dedman’s “Joy Of Union” is solo clarinet effort, where Rane Moore handles the wind with very playful gestures, while “2020: Danse Macabre” employs the Juventas New Music Ensemble for a particularly cinematic delivery that rumbles with intrigue and warmth thanks to Timothy Paek’s cello and Lu Yu’s viola that illuminates Michael Lee’s vision.
Landing near the end, Robyn Jacob’s “Fluctus” meshes Jacob’s piano, Peggy Lee’s cello and Francois Houle’s clarinet for an intimate and exploratory album highlight, and “Key Fragments”, by Timothy Kramer, is the 2nd solo clarinet moment, where the tension and space is manipulated with much mood.
A listen that spans turmoil, introspection, meditation, and even unity in the human experience, there exists incredible depth and authenticity in these very insightful arrangements.
Travels well with: Kenneth Thompkins- Compelling Portraits; Christina Rusnak- Voices Of The Land