Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

It is easy to say that I have never heard anything quite like this before. Although it is not an exact parallel, the best I can come with is to ask you to imagine that Philip Glass has written a symphony in the style of Arvo Part based on Pink Floyd's "Great Gig In The Sky" with Daniel Lanois producing it. So what we have is close to being ambient music played on the most eclectic collection of instruments you are liking to hear outside of a museum of curiosities, namely glass harmonica, cristal baschet, crystal bells, waterphone, and ondes martenot all played by Thomas Bloch plus David Coulter on musical saw, along with a selection of more conventional instruments - although not necessarily played in a conventional way. But have no fear: this is not avant garde noise generation but rather thoughtful, melodic and, in places spiritual music for a new millennium. Of particular note are the vocals, in places multi-tracked, from the male soprano Jorg Waschinski, which are quite remarkable. He is a true soprano rather than a counter-tenor although I find it hard to describe the difference between a male and female soprano. The best I can do is to refer you to choirboys and choir-girls singing treble; the notes are the same but there is a difference is how they sound. Not better and not worse, just different. And "different" is the word that best sums up this recording. Bloch looks back into musical history with his setting of the Mass and a Sancta Maria and boldly steps out into the future with "Cold Song". Although this is the very first release of 2011 to reach me I am confident that I will not hear anything else quite like it and very glad I am to have heard it too.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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