There’s a classic saying by St. Francis of Assisi, which is “preach the gospel at all times; use words when necessary”.
That attitude is held by composer Linda Dusman, who uses her pen to create a wide range of works in terms of instrumentation and topics. Themes ranging from COVID-10 (“Corona Bagatelles”) to the I-Ching Hexagram (“Lake, Thunder”) as well as familial hymns (“Dancing Universe”) are all available subjects to be sonically explored here. And, oh yes, there is music involved!
Lisa Cella uses breath and percussive pads for long tones and sub tones for her solo bass flute on a contemplative “Flash Point” with Tom Goldstein’s bass drum converses with a multitude of dynamics for “ And Numberless Quotidian Happenings”. Shadows and grey foreboding colors are produced by Hana Kotkova/vi, Claude Hauri/vcel and Corrado Greco/p on the evocative “Dancing Universe” with fluid woodwinds from Susanna Loewy/fl-pic and Evan Ross Solomon/cl glide around cirrus clouds of ideas from Ben Capps/cel, Daniel Pesca/p, Greg Watkins/b and Cara Fleck/harp on an impressionistic and panoramic “Mother Of Exiles”.
A series of duets between Pesca and Ladd mix prancing steps of delicacy with yearning cries between violincello and piano. Who needs words when notes say so much?