Lisa Swerdlow - Home of My Ancestors
Classical, New Age, Classical Crossover
California, United States
Overall Impression: "Home of My Ancestors" is a stirring new release from accomplished pianist and composer, Lisa Swerdlow. The first of three movements from her Coming to America concerto, "Home of My Ancestors" features piano accompanied by a small chamber style ensemble, consisting of various winds and strings. Following a free flowing adagio tempo, this piece opens in a maudlin c# minor, before breaking down the walls of harmonic convention and taking a deep dive, exploring its own tonality to the fullest measures. Swerdlow's deft touch on the keys is on full display here, as her performance draws on her superb musicality to invoke layers of emotions from her instrument, from the extremely melancholic to subtle hints of exuberance and joy. Contemporary classical music audiences should find a lot to like about this piece, and should absolutely check out "Home of My Ancestors", as well as Lisa Swerdlow's other phenomenal works.
Strongest Point(s): Outstanding production, excellent mix. Incredible composition and arrangement. Heartbreaking melodic content. Complex, nontraditional modal shifts that keep the listener focused and engaged. Wonderfully expressive instrumentation with the winds and strings. Fantastic sense of breath, thanks to the free tempo giving it a nice ebb and flow. Magnificent piano performance, the dynamics really come through on this recording. The piece in general has a fragile intensity and majesty that is incredibly difficult to achieve, but you absolutely nailed it. Simply a brilliant work, amazing composition and stellar production all around.
Target Audience Appeal: Fans of Classical, Contemporary Classical, Neoclassical, 20th Century, Avant Garde, Late Romanticism
Artist target suggestions: Arnold Schoenberg, John Cage, Pierre Schaffer, Igor Stravinsky, George Gershwin, Bela Bartok, Benjamin Britten, Charles Ives, Samuel Barber, Elliot Carter, Arthur Berger, Michael Tippett
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About the Reviewer:
Steven Azami is a multi-instrumentalist with over 25 years of experience in the music industry. Both as a touring/session player and as a producer, his career has spanned nearly every genre, from bluegrass to jazz, from rock to reggae. In addition, his work as a music educator has allowed him to cultivate and foster talent among the next generation of musical explorers