JAZZ2LOVE
Album Review: The Curtis Session from the Dover Quartet
Artist: The Dover Quartet
Label: Bimperl Entertainment & Media
website: www.doverquartet.com
Like a glade of spires and valleys, abstract figures along “Dreams from life awake: I. reverberation-exploration-flow” rise and dissolve spontaneously along the progressions, keeping the composition in a state of flux. A series of crescendos and lulls are displayed in an arbitrary manner; yet, the erratic patterns emote a melodic phrasing that appeals to the listener’s senses.
Strategically placed chords through “Dreams from life awake: II. tenderness-love-warmth” emerge and withdraw at random, soaring into lofty flurries then deflating into pockets of tranquility. The brisk seesawing of the strings in “Dreams from life awake: III. evolution-growth-transformation” demonstrates the group’s nimbleness and reflexive movements to build on each other’s contributions to the composition. The quartet’s synchronicity along “Dreams from life awake: IV. determination-energy-resolve” is precise, adding to the unique quality of the track to turn an assortment of obscure arrangements into swells of pleasurable aesthetics.
Encapsulating their flash of spontaneous creativity at the Curtis Institute in a recording, the Dover Quartet demonstrate their ingenuity and flare for making lyrically moving jaunts out of irregular meters and reflexive counter parts. The music is active and energetic, interspersed with moments of tranquility which make for a recording that has never-ending surprises.
Musicians:
Joel Link – Violin
Bryan Lee – Violin
Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt – Viola
Camden Shaw – Cello