Best of 2017 #25: Matthew Bourne – “Isotach” (Leaf Label)

Matthew Bourne had been spending his time lately experimenting with a moog.  He put out a couple interesting recordings documenting those experiments.  But for Isotach, the pianist returned to his home overlooking the moors of the Yorkshire countryside and recorded a solo piano work that is nothing short of stunning.  Notes are allowed to hang in the air and slowly drift and fade, with the next volley only served up just before the previous blink out of existence.  Bourne adds some cello here and there for texture, but only ever as accompaniment and never as the main course.  Melodies spread across each song like moonlight… slowly, almost imperceptibly, until suddenly everything is lit in a magical glow.  A truly beautiful recording, and a nice example of how the slightest emphasis can resonate like a hurricane.

Music from Yorkshire, England.

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