Johnny Gandelsman

This Is America: An Anthology 2020-2021

In A Circle, 2022

8/10

Listen to This Is America: An Anthology 2020-2021

The multi-instrumentalist Johnny Gandelsman takes on an adventurous project here, where he presents commissioned new works for violin from American and US-based composers, where each one in someway reflects all the turmoil the country has dealt with in recent years.

Clarice Assad’s “O” opens the listen with violin and voices interacting with mystery and beauty in a cinematic, almost sci-fi sort of way, and “Sahra be Wyckoff”, by Kinan Azmeh, follows with solo violin that’s used minimally but effectively with much cautious beauty.

Further on, Nick Dunston’s “Tardigrades” illustrates the violin being used in unconventional ways as it's plucked atypically and can also quiver in a machine like sort of way, while “A City Upon A Hill” welcomes electronics alongside the violin in the organic meets synthetic exploration via the Rhea Fowler and Micaela Tobin composition.

Much deeper into the affair, “Dólii” pairs electric tenor guitar with poetic singing in the album’s best track thanks to Bojan Louis’ vision, and Kojiro Umezaki’s “Breathe” finishes the listen with violin and electronics meshing with a glowing appeal that’s artistic, sparse and quite absorbing.

Gandelsman handles violin, 5 string violin, acoustic tenor guitar, electric tenor guitar and vocals across the 33 tracks, and it makes for a classical, baroque, and experimental journey that serves as a snapshot of all the difficulties, challenges, hopes and fears of 2020.

Travels well with: Eli Winter- Unbecoming; Pan Project- Pan Project