Pinnacle Vol. 3
Navona, 2023
8/10
The contemporary composers Alla Elana Cohen, Andrew Schneider, Dušan Bavdek, and Richard E Brown showcase their inimitable talents across these 6 well thought out compositions, where energetic, somber and stirring moods are covered with much care.
Dusan Bavdek’s “Capriccetto” begins the listen with Jakub Černohorský’s violin, Tomáš Svozil’s cello and Alexandr Starý’s piano moving swiftly with much grace and melody, and it isn’t long until Alla Elana Cohen’s “Watercolors of the Master Who Is Accustomed to Paint Oils” showcases Karel Dohnal’s clarinet and Martin Kasík’s piano in the unpredictable and cinematic climate.
In the middle, “Trio for Violin, Horn, and Piano”, by Richard E Brown, is populated by Anne Howarth’s horn, Ryan Shannon’s violin and Julia Scott Carey’s piano for the dynamic album highlight that’s bright, exciting and full of adventurous song craft.
The last two tracks, both by Andrew Schneider, include “Les Exubérants, Op. 11”, which highlights Dohnal’s clarinet and Jan Souček’s oboe that populate the intimate landscape, and “Les Enchanteresses Dansantes, Op. 12”, where Dieter Flury’s flute, Dohnal’s clarinet and Lukáš Polák’s cello meet at an intersection of dreamy, meticulous and charming musicianship.
A highly eclectic version of modern chamber sounds, each song yields its own sense of color, melody and dramatic ideas that are never in short supply.
Travels well with: Beth Weimann- I Give You My Home; London Cello Connection