Composer and pianist Aviram Spies talked briefly of his upcoming album back in March. The Israel-based creative has been crafting original scores for film, TV and video games for several years now, and the long-awaited Little Tales encapsulates the finely balanced combination of passion and musical brilliance that makes up his approach.
Seven original compositions deliver the completed journey of Little Tales, often brief yet immensely detailed ventures in and of themselves.
We begin with the meeting of natural world string sounds and an almost sirenesque sense of rising anticipation. An opening composition based on a story by Etgar Keret, The Next to Last Time I was Shot Out Of a Cannon is perhaps the most cinematic and adventurous track of the album, and features a nostalgic classical set-up of dramatic intensity and rising passion.
Darkness ensues for The Broken Pearl Necklace, almost reminiscent of the funeral march just briefly, a sense of unsettling melancholy soon overtaken by a quickness and colourful freedom that partly juxtaposes the eerie mood of elsewhere. Then to follow, the joyful change of pace and groove that is A Doll’s Waltz appears perfectly placed within the collection.
The Sleeping Giant is uniquely intriguing, an almost familiar backdrop of strings elevated by an unorthodox frontline of quicker notes and an aptly stealthy sense of movement. Inside Voices then shifts both the mood and stylistic undertone – a woodwind arrangement of haunting layers depicting both intimacy and distance as we’re lured towards the depths of this minimalistic story.
Quiet and calm return for We Met On A Frozen Lake. As ever, Aviram Spies ensures the connection between title and experience, this time bringing that quality to life with the help of the String Miniature Quartet No.1. And to follow, a work that perfectly encapsulates the implications of its name – On The Edge of an Endless Forest takes you to precisely the purity and vastness promised. The sound is that of a nostalgic movie-made classical realm, familiar but unpredictable, and softly spellbinding to let play and surround you.
Eclecticism of style and limitless ability permit this project a defiant level of creative appeal. Aviram Spies masters the compositional space with subtlety and intention, and in the process offers a wholly immersive, enchanting and moving listen.
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