Sempre: A New Dimension
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley January 17, 2020
Artist – Ian Maksin
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One of the real pluses with modern composition is that it can, will and does allow the composer to take the music wherever they choose to go, regardless of the vehicle of choice.
‘Cello as a standalone instrument is the last vehicle to be expected, but in the skilled hands of Ian Maksin, the ‘cello reaches out with a lovely rich, melodic and pure tone, to transform his compositions into pure magic, as he weaves his way across the palate stretching from renaissance to modern jazz/blue influences, creating a glorious fusion of contemporary sound.
Sempre the title of the album, introduces the work with a beautiful staccato entrance overlayed with the sound of the strings being gently stroked. Sempre from the Italian means ‘Something that will happen or continue forever; will always happen or continue’ or ‘always’ and as the album unfolds this is surely the feeling discovered.
A crossover piece Blues a Jardin du Luxembourg, is a piece with a definite blues melancholy, mixed in with a very traditional waltz tempo. Unique, pleasing, totally enjoyable this song is a tribute to the beauty to be discovered in the elegant gardens of Jardin du Luxembourg, to be found in the 6th arrondissement of Paris.
Jazz graces the cello, accompanied by percussion from Andrew Mitran, in Vancouver Rain, morphing into reality that grey reflective time when the rain simply falls, gracefully forming its own solitude, allowing a time to simply be in the moment; to enjoy the blessings of time and place.
An almost calypso beat ushers in Sunset on the Cascade, a song which almost demands taking a trip to places which are warm, sultry, mysterious in the shades of day and night. There is a lovely pulsating rhythm underlying the obvious patterns constructed in life. Remarkable sound engineering allows the many facets of the ’cello to speak and come together to create a very intriguing piece.
Brand New Page certainly lives up to the title as Maksin ‘cuts loose’ encouraging the ‘cello to talk, to speak out loud and clear with a rich vibrancy to form a funky, lively, ethnic vibe which is, after the more traditionally composed melodies previously revelled in, absolutely fantastic. The perfect piece to place as a finale for a work that redefines the boundaries.
Internationally acclaimed cellist, composer and multilingual vocalist, Ian Maksin aimed to create a new dimension of infinity with his music; Sempre has certainly done this and stands tall as a tribute to man who plays his beloved ‘cello from the very depth of his heart and soul, and simply cannot help but make us all a little better for the experience.