A subtle interplay exists between the compositional pursuits of Jürg Frey and the performing sensibility of Dutch pianist Reinier Van Houdt. This triple CD expresses it to perfection, submitting to the listeners — preferably equipped with a quiet room — a program built on solo piano pieces developed by Frey in different periods. Van Houdt, who has been involved in previous releases of the Swiss composer's work, confirms himself as an instrumentalist capable of navigating realms of absolute harmonic clarity with the required depth. From each note, dyad or chord he distils resonant essences whose elusiveness is enhanced by the surrounding silence. The same from which those sounds were born, and that also constitutes their resting place as they vanish.
In keeping with the inward stillness conveyed by the entire act, you should not feel in a hurry to engage with these renditions. For example, it took us several days of living with "Extended Circular Music 9", or the quasi-mythical "Sam Lazaro Bros", before fully fathoming Frey's poetical deductions, and letting our recollection acknowledge that unique aura. The latter is expressed through rarefied geometries shimmering with a soft light, occasionally altered by slight dissonance. Equally important in this perspective is the use of obstinate repetition of single tones and/or chords within certain time frames. It is at such junctures that the intrinsic nuances of sound are most measurable, intensified as they are by the responsiveness of Van Houdt, who interprets the scores with a degree of foresight that finely complements his evident affinity with the material.
Perhaps the best compliment that can be reserved for this set concerns its evocative functionality. The well-delineated sequences of gestures, the wide spaces left available for the absorption of potential meanings, the implicit patterns becoming more prominent than the explicit ones. All of the above frequently translates into images and memories. Silent afternoons in which one observes from the window the actions of other people completely caught up in their daily lives. The attempt to guess, looking at a puddle during an onset of rain, where the next drops will fall, and how the ripples will spread. The awareness of waiting for something that is intuited to be essential, but may never materialize. The sense of infinity as opposed to the inescapable limitedness of humanity. If Frey in his insight, and Van Houdt in his interpretation, have succeeded in generating all this, then we can do nothing but give them proper respect.
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