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Besser and Bravura: Ecstasy

In concert, depending on who has the principal role at any given moment, composer Jonathan Besser’s Bravura (Miranda Adams, violin, gamelan; Nigel Gavin, guitar, glissentar; Tatiana Lantchikova, piano accordion; Peter Scott, double bass; Yair Katz, drums, percussion; Robert Ashworth, viola; Besser, piano, celeste) is alternately: feisty; free-form; jazz-influenced; straight-ahead classical; a virtuoso ensemble; supporting a virtuoso soloist; folksy; klezmer dancing in unusual time signatures; introspective; outgoing; through-composed; loose; tight; a polyrhythmic tango band; a polka band; serious; light-hearted - in other words, an entertaining bravura ensemble. I mention all this because, in this suite of nine pieces, composed over a period of eight days to celebrate the 800th birthday of the mystical poet Rumi, you will find all those characteristics very muted. These are very quiet ecstasies indeed. Only an occasional solo voice peeps out from what is essentially an ensemble giving voice to the composer’s meditations; and once again Besser’s compositions slip seamlessly from the one to the next, giving the impression that the album is one continuous piece. This beautiful introspective music is, paradoxically, probably best experienced in personal solitude rather than in concert - a private Rumi-nation, if you will. www.attarmusic.com

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