The Arching Path
In A Circle, 2021
8/10
The composer and musician Christopher Cerrone landed himself a Grammy nomination for 2019’s The Pieces That Fall To Earth, and this follow up album retains a similar level of impact as Timo Andres, Lindsay Kesselman, Ian Rosenbaum and Mingzhe Wang accompany him across the 4 chapter affair.
The title track starts the listen with 3 adventurous movements that are solo piano in Andres’ capable hands that almost makes the piano sound like a tool before transitioning into a tense execution of dynamic key prowess. “Double Happiness” follows, and brings a soothing atmosphere of field recordings as Cerrone’s electronics adds much mood to the reflective climate that also benefits from Ian Rosenbaum’s radiant percussion.
The back half of the listen includes the soaring soprano from Lindsay Kesselman and clarinet thanks to Mingzhe Wang’s as classical and chamber ideas meet at the very creative intersection that is “I Will Learn To Love A Person”. “Hoyt-Schermerhorn” exits the listen with just piano and faint electronics in a sublime and emotive finish of electro-acoustic song craft that was inspired by a subway that Cerrone frequents.
Inspired by Cerrone’s trip to Italy, and written between 2010 and 2016, The Arching Path is exceptionally meticulous, and manipulates pitch and timbre in both rich and intimate ways that will appeal to fans of ambient, minimal and modern classical textures.
Travels well with: Peter Gilbert- Burned Into The Orange; Douglas Boyce- The Hunt By Night