Reviewed: 2019-05-30
Genre: Classical (X)
FCCs: none
Review: hard to decide if this is classical or jazz. There are certainly elements of both, and can easily fit into the New Music category. All beautifully played. The all-female quartet is amazingly versatile, while Nagl provides the compositions and adds textural elements with a variety of instruments.
If You Like: Kronos Quartet, William Parker, Hannah Addario-Berry, David S Ware
Track Review (favorites denoted by *):
*1/ La Ricotta (16:27) – violin starts> slow jam swings uptempo with a French café jazz café vibe, then mellows again> mellow sax solo> pause> violin starts uptempo hesitating jam> pause> midtempo off-kilter jam> pause> bass starts uptempo jam with strings up front slows to slow tempo pastoral> sax solo> slow jam> pause> uptempo jam slows, speeds up, & slows again> slow fade
*2/ Adebar (3:19) – sax solo starts slow, then swings into uptempo jam> settles into repetitive riff> quick stop
***3/ Brochen Glas (9:52) – strings start slow, builds to uptempo jam> slides back & forth between tempos> pause> raucous fast jam like stampeding ostriches> melody shift to midtempo jam with shifting melodies> fade
4/ Disturbances (10:38) – strings start> spoken words intersect the music> shifting melodies & tempos> slow fade
**5/ Radiwand – Wadlwand (2:16) – strings start slow, swing uptempo into a dance number> quick stop
**6/ Goas (2:27) – strings start hesitatingly> midtempo jam with shifting melodies> quick stop
*7/ Bamdal Fuebre (9:03) – strings start slow & hesitating, then swings uptempo, then slows again> swings uptempo, then goes wild & dissonant> quick fade> brief slow fade
*8/ Schneckenpflaster (3:51) – sax starts quiet like a laugh> slow jam swings to midtempo, then slows again> spoken word inserted> slow jam> slow fade> pause> quick jam of reverse notes> ends on spoken word