Echo Collective. 7K! 7K024CD.
By Karl W. Nehring
Readers who have followed Classical Candor for a
while might remember the Brussels-based musicians Echo Collective from our review
of their DG release 12 Conversations with Thilo Heinzmann, music
composed by the late Jóhann Jóhannsson. They have had an interesting and varied
career, performing in concert settings in support of artists such as Jóhannsson and A Winged Victory For The Sullen.
They have also lent their interpretative talents to releases by themselves and
others and others in musical genres as diverse as alt.rock, synth-pop, and
black metal. Classical music fans need not worry, however, because The See
Within, which is Echo Collective’s first album comprising their own
original material (one of their previous releases, for example, was their
instrumental version of Radiohead’s Amnesiac). Although The See Within is clearly contemporary
in outlook, is fits without too awkward a stretch into the Western “classical”
chamber music tradition.
By Karl W. Nehring
while might remember the Brussels-based musicians Echo Collective from our review
of their DG release 12 Conversations with Thilo Heinzmann, music
composed by the late Jóhann Jóhannsson. They have had an interesting and varied
career, performing in concert settings in support of artists such as Jóhannsson and A Winged Victory For The Sullen.
They have also lent their interpretative talents to releases by themselves and
others and others in musical genres as diverse as alt.rock, synth-pop, and
black metal. Classical music fans need not worry, however, because The See
Within, which is Echo Collective’s first album comprising their own
original material (one of their previous releases, for example, was their
instrumental version of Radiohead’s Amnesiac). Although The See Within is clearly contemporary
in outlook, is fits without too awkward a stretch into the Western “classical”
chamber music tradition.
The music is scored for violin, viola, cello, harp and, in its first appearance
on a commercially released album recording, the magnetic resonator piano (MRP).
“All sounds are acoustic, and produced in real time,” explain Echo Collective
co-founders Margaret Hermant (violin, harp) and Neil Leiter (viola). “No
processing or post-production other than reverb. The acoustic element is Echo
Collective’s identity. A natural sound.”
The MRP, of which only one currently exists (built by its
inventor, Andrew MacPherson), is something else again. I listened to the CD
several times and assumed that there must be some subtle electronic instrumentation
involved, some sort of synthesizer or perhaps electronic processing of the
sound produced by a piano and perhaps some other instruments, although overall
most of the sounds seemed quite natural. Only later did I do a little
investigation and learn that all the sounds on the recording were acoustic.
What I thought were synthesized tones were produced acoustically by the MRP, in
which powerful electromagnets fitted to an acoustic piano – “imagine the effect
of a giant E-bow” suggests Hermant – and an extra pedal prolong the notes,
creating the kind of sustain and crescendos that can be achieved with strings.
The MRP preserves all the sounds and techniques of the acoustic piano, while
expanding its range of sounds to include things such as infinite sustain,
crescendos (including crescendos from silence), harmonics on each string, new
timbres that can be shaped in real time, and subtle pitch bends. Leiter
explains that “in contrast to the conventional (hammer-actuated) piano sound,
the sounds of the MRP are pure and ethereal, emphasizing the fundamental
frequency of each string over its high partials. We discovered the MRP about
six months before recording the album. It allowed us to give piano and strings
equal expression, and to present a unified acoustic sound, since any drone
effect on a piano is usually reliant on electronics. It’s been fascinating to
take a traditional instrument and set it free.”
The MRP is played by Gary De Cart, The See Within’s
third composer alongside Hermant and Leiter, while the album’s fourth musician,
cellist Charlotte Danhier, is credited with co-writing the title track. Both De
Cart and Danhier are regular members of the fluctuating collective, but the
core of the ensemble is its two founders.
straightforward chamber music, with some subtle use of the MRP, while the
second cut, “The See Within,” begins to let us hear what the MRP is capable of,
creating some interesting sustains in the lower strings of the piano as a foundation
for the sounds of the violin and harp above.
In the third cut, “From Last Night’s Rain,” we hear chords
on the piano in addition to some other occasional effects. However, I should
not over-emphasize the MRP; in truth, it is an integrated part of a true
chamber ensemble, and there is much more to this music than just the sound of
this instrument, which I have focused on because of its unusual nature, not
because it has in any way dominated the sound of the music. At least to my
mind’s ear (or ear’s mind), cut 4, “The Witching Hour,” expresses longing
mingled with apprehension. It is a focused and convincing piece of music.
Cut 5, “Glitch,” opens with some unusual sounds that
resemble the calls of dolphins. As the music progresses, the listener can
perhaps imagine it being part of the soundtrack for some psychological
thriller. The next piece, “Unknown Gates,” gives prominence to the harp with
support from the MRP. It really does function as something of a gateway,
bringing us to the major composition on the album, the 11-minute “Respire.”
This truly is a remarkable piece of music, calling upon the sounds of the MRP,
the cello, the violin, and the harp to evoke feelings of calm, joy, peace, and
wonder. Listen, breathe, behold, be calm, be well. The final track, “First
Brightening,” turns the energy level up a notch or two. After all, we must not
be content to sit and be well, we must stand and do good, bringing about some
brightening.
All in all, The See Within is a musical breath of
fresh air blowing in from Brussels. Give this remarkable album an audition and
be amazed, as was I, that all the sounds you hear are produced by acoustic
instruments. I look eagerly forward to future releases by this remarkable
ensemble, regardless of musical genre. Brava and bravo!
KWN
