Even For A Moment
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley November 15, 2018
Artist – Gary Schmidt
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https://www.apianist.com/
Once again Gary Schmidt has created an album of such gentle beauty in Even For A Moment, it is as if the blend of meditation and reflection have simply been created by the singular notes of the piano, which have created a lovely peaceful, relaxing lullaby mood throughout.
Each of the elegantly constructed pieces of his own compositions have a definitive sophistication, which allows the notes of the piano to be presented in perfect harmony. Many of the pieces are singular piano pieces, with others featuring artists which complement the composition. On Face That Lights My Life, brother Roger joins with guitar to create a lovely fusion of sound that gently soothes and relaxes the body, mind and soul.
The beautiful A Train Leaves the City is an intriguing song that stretches the imagination, as the title is deceptive, the music subtle and able to be transposed in many ways. Shery Finzer joins the Schmidt on piano in The Breath At Dawn, with the gentle bass flute notes creating the very essence of the fresh, stillness of the dawn; a time when the air is clear, still undisturbed; mystery and magic combined.
A lovely rendition of Haydn’s Menuet in Gm, arranged by Kempff showcases the immense depth of talent Gary Schmidt can draw upon when composing. His presentation of the piece is simply quintessential and when followed by the jaunty little piece Even For A Moment, the title track, accompanied by Hannah Alkire on ‘cello, it presents the salient point that Schmidt has carefully orchestrated a treat in tone and melody, that is refreshing and most enjoyable.
Every piece on this fourteen-track album is an exquisite journey into a completely separate world of feeling; of calm and peace, of enjoyment and pleasure, clearly portraying his desire to write ‘music that speaks directly to the soul’.
Postlude to A Moment is a piece that teases the memory, as the opening notes seem to sound like that something, that tune you once used to know, before you realise it is a clever use of composition to draw you further into the listening experience for a final moment of enjoyment, a postlude which puts the finishing touches to a graceful journey by ‘enhancing life through music’.