Nishikaze - Clavichords Harpsichords [CD]

This music knows when to be gentle, when to be harsh; when to quiet down, when to erupt; it knows when to change, and it knows when to be still. A meticulously designed sonic organism that is living, breathing, and evolving. Makiko is listening. The keyboards take on many guises: at times a percussion instrument, a harp, a banjo, or a guitar, and at times a bit-crushed, distorted electronic voice - all forming a virtual orchestra that speaks in many tongues. Transformations of instrumental color and harmonic space form a thread across the album, but, decidedly, not a goal-oriented narrative. There are rare precious moments where the composer pans an instrument from one ear to the other, very gradually. It is a beautiful sensation especially when listening with headphones. As I hear this, I imagine a clavichord and it's player floating in the air, across the horizon. This music celebrates the beauty of subtlety, of limitations, of focus and persistence - it celebrates the complex sound world and the range of expression that these magical instruments o er. It is a playful music, constructed with Makiko's original and genuine language.