Encounters of the Beautiful Kind
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley October 10, 2018
Artist – Rchel LaFond
Distributor:
Released: June 2018
Running Time: 47;41secs
Website: https://www.rachellafond.com/encounters-of-the-beautiful-kind/?v=6cc98ba2045f
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Falling in love inspired creation in Rachel Lafond, who up to that time in her life was a performer and teacher of piano. Never suspecting her great talent for composition, her dreaming of the man she was to later marry unlocked a rich and powerful talent, once again presented in her new solo piano album, Encounters of the Beautiful Kind.
Travelling the world as a young married couple her music embraced the special moments encountered before she and he husband choose New Zealand as their new home. Settling in to a new country, and a new culture, has proven to be the inspiration for this enjoyable work introduced by Luminous, a piece that is a little hesitant to begin with, before building to a confident finish.
Those who have moved countries will resonate with this work, as Lafond has captured, through the medium of music, the gentle, hesitant beginnings, the moment when memories of home, other times and places come flooding back in Heart Full of Memories. Followed by Tears for Catalunya she pays tribute to those who lost their lives in the terror attacks at Las Rambas and Cambrils in 2017.
Your Beauty Calls Me is a piece full of love and joy for her new piano, a piano she had to forgo for the two years of her travels but now settled she can once again, fall in love all over again with this glorious new addition to the home.
Sometimes when living an ex-pat life, there is the question that arrives, The Question Your Heart Asks, a question often without answer at that time, as the decisions made to begin in a new country are complex, which has been well presented in a piece that simply flows, rising and falling with emotion.
A soft and delicate moment is offered in Don’t Cry, Calvin, where comfort and love is offered freely in time of need.
Living in New Zealand can often cause a pause to consider where the sun may have gone, or when its warming rays will be noticed once again, which has been captured perfectly in Shout To The Sun, a powerful and rich song.
A quirky title to the finishing track is A Knight’s Journey, a strong and yet almost languid piece, allows the mind to drift to and fro, creating whatever visions chosen in the moment. It also offers a settling, that comes with the acceptance and enjoyment of a new life, a journeys end, at least for now!
With Encounters of the Most Beautiful Kind, Rachel Lafond has simply underpinned her immense talent in the world of neo-classical solo piano music.