Just a few months ago we got to hear new work by the British musician Greg Haines with Komarovo, on the amazing label Slaapwel Records. The first solo work after the album Slumber Tides on Miasmah. While Komarovo could be seen as a in-between release (and what kind of one) he now already presents a new work Until The Point Of Hushed Support on a for me until now unknown label from Berlin: Sonic Pieces.
On the debut release Haines mainly worked with electronics and his cello, for his release Komarovo he already enriched his instrumentation to organ and piano and now for his new release he adds to these a complete string quintet and drums.
In the four new pieces Haines takes further dive in to classical music. Most of the music is recorded in a the Grunewald church in Berlin, together with Nils Frahm. Together they assembled the different musicians who would play the score that Haines had written.
If we compare the new pieces with the previous work, and especially Slumber Tides, we notice that Greg Haines developed a huge amount. Where his previous work already showed a promising musician, experimenting with electro-acoustic sounds, here he develops into a true composer. One with a keen eye on musical development.
The album opens with Industry vs. Inferiority, a piece for piano. A very minimal quiet piece. It is a sad piece which reminds a bit of the music by Goldmund.
With Marc's Descent, though, the album really seems to start. Long violins set the start of the piece. For the first time one of the young composers coming from the electronic scene make a piece that could really compare with the music by Arvo Pärt. Slowly some electronic sounds are added to the piece, but nowhere this takes over. It is a gorgeous piece.
In the event of sudden loss starts out with electronic music, soft ambient drones swell in and out again. Softly the classical instruments are added to the composition creating an even sadder piece. The progression of the composition is really well thought through. The piece builds up to a certain point of mourning.
The album finishes with Until the point of least resistance. Again this piece starts very soft. The sound of tapes loops are increasing. It sounds as if the first few minutes are outtakes from his collaboration with Wouter van Veldhoven, but when the choir comes in you are taken on another road. For certain this is the last piece: the violins come back building up to a climax, creating a feeling of hope. Still the melancholy is around, but this time it is slowly floating away from mind and body. And when we finish things a gentle piano returns and the album ends as it started.
With Until the point of hushed support Greg Haines has shown to be a great composer. The music can be placed near top of modern classical music.It is an album of true sadness, but also one of true beauty. High recommendation. |
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