Mere Mortals
Navona, 2023
8/10
Caitlin Edwards and Daniel Schlosberg bring their violin and piano to these 5 rich and precise pieces by 5 different composers who all exhibit much poise.
Irene Britton Smith’s “Sonata For Violin And Piano” opens the listen with Edwards’ glowing strings and Schlosberg’s dancing keys making for much warmth, and “Sonata Variation”, by Jonathan Bailey Holland, follows with a very eloquent presence of beauty and intimacy.
The halfway spot belongs to Ethel Smyth’s “Sonata For Violin And Piano”, where the stirring violin and animated keys emit a dreamy climate, while “Sonata For Violin And Piano” rumbles with a charming intensity via the flowing keys and poetic strings in the David Baker original. The final track, Ahmed Alabaca’s “Mere Mortals”, blends the instruments into a reflective and harmonic tone of dynamic song craft.
A timeless chamber effort that showcases so much inimitable skill, the duo work together with a chemistry that you can’t not admire.
Travels well with: Joanna Estelle- Transmutation; Randy Bauer- dis/entanglements