Vocalist and pianist Areni Agbanian has been making the LA scene, teaming with Vardan Ovsepian and Tigran Hamasyan during the past couple of years. Here, she debuts on ECM mixing her ethereal voice with piano and occasional guest percussion by Nicolas Stocker for a rich and meditative collection of moods.
The songs range from concise half minute crystalline piano pieces such as “Whiteness” and “Rain Drops” to soft breezes of voice and ivories, spacious impressionisms during “Petal Two” and “Petal One” and the celestial “Full Bloom” and “ Seeing More.” She sings in English with Stocker providing meditative support during the folksy “Patience” and creates a palpable atmosphere with George Winston-like use of light during “The Water Bride.” The entity created is like a dreamy rest in the back row of a Sunday Liturgy, timeless and making you want to look around at all of the Byzantine art work on the walls.