Variations On A Melancholy Theme

Jazz · 2021 · 15 tracks · 34m

Variations On A Melancholy Theme

A formal yet deeply felt collaboration between a jazz visionary and a chamber orchestra. Intricate, classically-minded, and heavy with a beautiful, silver-toned sadness.

June 11, 2021 · Nonesuch

A rigorous, intellectual exploration of sadness that finds beauty in formal complexity and orchestral depth.

Tracklist · 15 Tracks · 34m

01

Theme

2:11

02

Variation 1

2:18

03

Variation 2

1:59

04

Variation 3

1:25

05

Variation 4

1:30

06

Variation 5

0:45

07

Variation 6

0:51

08

Variation 7

2:12

09

Variation 8

2:41

10

Variation 9

0:52

11

Variation 10

1:05

12

Variation 11

3:57

13

Cadenza

1:58

14

Postlude

6:29

15

Encore: Variations "X" & "Y"

3:52

Moments Worth Listening For

The transition into Variation 1 where the piano's lonely theme is suddenly enveloped by the warm, swelling breath of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

The Cadenza's shift into pure improvisational freedom, where the structured melancholy breaks into a flurry of technical brilliance.

The Postlude's slow dissolution, where the main theme returns in a ghostly, fragmented form that feels like a memory fading.

Reviews

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albumoftheyear.org

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