landscapes of memory – solo piano music by Emilie Cecilia LeBel
Wesley Shen; Luciane Cardassi
Redshift Records TK551 (redshiftmusicsociety.bandcamp.com/album/landscapes-of-memory)
Alberta-based Canadian composer Emilie Cecilia LeBel’s landscapes of memory features her subtle, delicate compositional style in two solo piano works with extensions. Both are over 30 minutes in length, inspired by nature, and each is performed by the work’s commissioner. A distinct highlight is LeBel’s use of EBows, electromagnetic exciters which are commonly used on electric guitars. The E-Bow is placed inside the piano causing the strings it is put on to create a continuous vibrating drone effect dependent on the pianist’s articulation, volume and tempo.
Toronto pianist Wesley Shen performs ghost geography (2022) which is inspired by the North Saskatchewan River. This is slow, very hypnotic and reflective, using a wide piano range with a repeated held chord, higher interspersed notes, ascending single notes and low tones blending with one continuous quasi-background drone. Especially moving is how the ends of the piano held notes blend with the drone sound.
Brazilian-Canadian pianist Luciane Cardassi performs the five-movement pale forms in uncommon light (2023) which is inspired by the Montane ecoregion in Alberta and its filtering light patterns through trees. The middle register positioned EBow drone is louder throughout, moving string position with each movement. Alternating low, mid-range and high piano notes against the mid-pitched drone creates a shimmer effect.
Both pianists perform brilliantly, effortlessly combining each composition’s inherent texture, resonance and tone colour with the drone. The unique hypnotic slower tempos, chromatic harmonics, held notes and drones are worth the possibly challenging listen.
