Imaginings

Album review

Imaginings requires the listener's undivided attention. Everything happens softly, almost imperceptibly, except for an occasional outburst. Regardless of how much you turn up the volume, the main part of the music always seems to flow slightly under hearing level. It gets annoying. A collaboration between composer Jonathan Harvey and avant-garde cellist Frances-Marie Uitti, this set of improvisations explores strange relations between the warm sound of her two-bowed cello and synthesizers. Harvey uses a Yamaha SY77 and a DX7 II, too often with their factory patches -- the sounds are not always pleasant, like the horrible percussion samples used in part eight. The improvisers' dialogues often remain superficial, with Uitti showcasing the multiple aspects of her work while Harvey supplies ambient landscapes, resulting in unconvincing ambient free improv. Notable exceptions include the short and violent part three, and part four where the keyboardist takes a more prominent role, his electronics evoking musique concrète. The mysterious part seven takes the listener on a subaudible and subconscious journey -- it is paradoxically the best and the most sleep-inducing part of the album. If you want to listen to Uitti's cello playing, her solo CD Uitti 2 Bows will suit you better. If you want to hear her interact with an improviser of the electronic kind, try her 3" CD with Stephen Vitiello. Imaginings will only please her dedicated fans.

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