At 70 years old, the Ukranian pianist has more life in his indefatigable fingertips than many half his age in their whole selves. That’s life in all is darkness and light, equal in might and forever entangled. Melnyk’s mesmerizing compositions thrive on such paradox — simple yet dense, luxuriant yet fraught, wildly driven yet serenely assured of their bearings. The first three pieces whet the appetite for the titular, 20-minute suite, an expansive and exhilarating creation graced by the judicious introduction of cello and vocals, notably those of London-based sorceress of song Hatis Noit. These fallen trees do indeed make a sound in the forest of modern music, and it is sublime.
