A gentle chiaroscuro zenitude unfolds calmly on EXO, by Ottawa composer Mark Molnar. A tenebrous bewitchment streaked with luminous filaments captures our senses, thanks to undulating writing for strings, harp, piano and electronics. We are plunged into a sumptuous universe that moves forward slowly, but also with a certain inevitability. Vast landscapes appear and move at the speed of dramatic slow motion. Imagine Arvo Pärt and Morton Feldman crossed paths. At times, too, one senses that Howard Skempton’s magnificent Lento served as a (very) strong inspiration.
The Constellation label is to be commended for recently offering some excellent titles of “post-classical” contemporary music. READ MY REVIEW OF REBECCA FOON’S ALBUM REVERIE.
Mark Molnar’s EXO will transport you into a mysterious, poignant and bewitching world.
