Nemāno Gaona
New Focus, 2022
8/10
The Iranian violist Kimia Hesabi offers us a debut album of tracks by Iranian Diaspora composers, where voice, electronics, and viola explore a wide expanse of sounds, colors, stories, memories and identities that stem from the distinct and unique ways by Iran.
Gity Razaz’s “Song And Whispers” opens the listen with much atmosphere, as the carefully manipulated strings are both soft and intense and with a unique melody, and “Variant op. 139, no. 2”, by Alireza Mashayekhi, follows with the strategically bowed strings emitting a rich and introspective tone.
In the middle, Niloufar Nourbakhsh’s “Veiled” relies heavily on the swirling electronics and stirring viola for an intimate landscape, while Mozhgan Chahian’s “Hani And Sheh Mureed” lands in Balochi Folklore for the poetic strings that you can’t help but admire.
Mashayekhi’s work appears again at the end, where Ying-Shan Su’ piano illuminates “Sonata For Viola And Piano”, which can rumble with mystery and also find fuller places to reside.
A very cultured listen that explores folk, classical and contemporary music of Iranian culture, Hesabi’s musical language is one that’s fascinating, authentic and timeless.
Travels well with: Steven Ricks- Assemblage Chamber; Finola Merivale- Tús