Scott Ordway: North Woods
New Focus, 2025
9/10
Listen to Scott Ordway: North Woods
The composer Scott Ordway sees his 4 movement piece fleshed out by the Lorelei Ensemble, where both haunting and pretty gestures illuminate the meticulous delivery.
The dreamy ambience of “Representation I.” opens with the sublime vocal harmonizing that radiates tremendous warmth, and “Representation II.” follows with chilling melodies that are layered with floating moments that allow for the player’s individual voices to shine.
The back half belongs to “Representation III.”, as the setting gets a little more forceful in its dynamic appeal, and “Appendix” exits with a distinct, harmonic tonality that’s heartfelt and memorable in its tremendous abilities.
An effort that spotlights resonance and emotional intensity, the voice choir is in fine form as always, and for anyone with an ear for vocal ensemble, well, it just doesn’t get much better than this.
Travels well with: Gloria Cheng- Riot Progressions; Brian Baumbusch- Polytempo Music