Mother Earth
Navona, 2021
9/10
The revered violist Brett Deubner and the exceptional pianist Allison Brewster Franzetti join forces together here for a batch of extremely eloquent and stirring songs that were birthed from all the turmoil of 2020.
“For Zayd And Zizi” starts the listen with warm, soothing piano alongside the emotive strings, and this sophisticated formula continues to the chilling beauty of “Samarthana”, as well as the quivering string manipulation of the hypnotic “Fratres”.
“Elegy” arrives in the middle and offers a calm delivery that without words conveys much emotion, while “Stone Rose” is just as heartfelt, where the instruments blend together in a melodic and moving demeanor.
The title track lands near the end, and displays much cautious yet adventurous synergy as the pair escalate the tune into a dizzying execution, and “Spiegel Im Spiegel” exits the listen with a lullaby-esque quality amid the twinkling keys and soft strings.
Duebner’s resume includes work with the Grammy award-winning New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and Brewster Franzetti has been impressing us with her acrobatic key skills since the mid ‘90s. Together, they address these turbulent times with angst and hope via the universal language that is music, and their inimitable performance makes for an absorbing 10 tracks.
Travels well with: Carl Vollrath- Old & New Poetry; Joshua Ranz- J.S. Bach: Three Cello Suites