Renewal
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley November 26, 2014
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In Renewal, Pederson has successfully managed to breathe new life into classical Hymns by stripping away the trappings of “traditional church music”, exposing the beautiful melodies which have often been hidden under words accompanied by heavy organ music, presenting them as they were perhaps always intended, to be listened too and enjoyed as divine music.
Each of the tracks has been penned by an amazing array of people more than 150 years ago, with one of the pieces being written by Francis of Assisi in the early 1200’s, another by the famous religious leader Martin Luther and yet another taken from a 17thCentury French folk carol, Picardy.
That these glorious pieces have been uncovered and given a renewal with the use of modern acoustic instruments along with more traditional oboe, violin and cello allows these divine melodies to be heard, enjoyed and absorbed by a new generation of listeners.
Pederson set out to renew and re-create: he wanted the music to “feel different” and in this he has totally succeeded. The finished product is mellow, tranquil, enervating, inspiring, refreshing and has a fresh new appeal, which brings back to life music in danger of completely disappearing to the realms of “Old fashioned”, possibly becoming lost to the world which, upon listening to this interpretation, would have been a tragedy indeed.
Get into this magnificently gentle work of love and joy; allow it to heal, refresh and renew.
Kyle Pederson, as a solo musician with a flair for inspirational touches, you have truly come of age. Beautiful!