Reviews

Even before I played the disc was enormously impressed by the presentation – it is a very professional piece of work indeed. Gentle music to play with the back door open to the garden, the kettle and toast on, all well with the world.

Dan Evans has recorded a “must-have” CD for all mountain dulcimer players, students, and fans of the instrument. His new recording, entitled “Au Vieux Moulin,” has a remarkable diversity of textures and styles. Dan is known for his virtuosic fingerpicking, and this collection continues the tradition. Dan is a gifted photographer and the fold-out CD pack, complete with a booklet describing each track, is a stunning package. Some of the most expressive dynamics I’ve ever heard on a mountain dulcimer–ever! Dan uses the subtle dynamic range of the dulcimer to the fullest extent possible, and this is true throughout the entire project. Rebecca Hallworth’s voice perfectly complements Dan’s sensitive dulcimer playing. Dan Evans is truly leading the way on the mountain dulcimer in the UK, and “Au Vieux Moulin” is his strongest album yet.

Dan’s trademark clarity and precision of playing style is present throughout, and at its best he displays a lyricism and freedom of expression which is truly exhilarating. All in all, this is a very satisfying listen. The sound quality of the CD is excellent and Dan’s playing is never less than immaculate – a great balance of new and old, tunes and songs, the old lyrical style and a new, more insistent Dan Evans sound. I, for one, am eager to find out in which direction he goes next.

This album is Dan’s fifth and is a success from start to finish. It amazes me how such a simple instrument as the mountain dulcimer can be made to produce such beautiful sounds. I thoroughly recommend this album.

Dan works through an astonishing variety of tunes and soundscapes … gifted with seemingly limitless imagination. It’s all incredibly pure and all incredibly beautiful.

There’s a quiet, dignified beauty and simplicity in what Dan Evans does and it’s very much in evidence throughout his latest album. [He] consistently surprises with the ingenuities of his arrangements. A coherent and graceful collection.

A beautifully produced album and a majority of the tracks demonstrate Dan’s wonderful fingerstyle technique. And it has a certain Mr Stephen Seifert guesting on two of the tracks. There are a mixture of old favourites and new compositions, both with and without vocals, all wonderfully arranged.

This is a lovely record. Intimate and unassuming, it sounds like nothing else and imparts a warmth that deepens with each listen. It’s music to furnish the secluded corners and secret recesses of the mind, catering from quiet times.

[The Feldman] is a wonderful showcase… its gradations of rhythm and colour become endlessly fascinating. Fox’s Quintet… confers enormous significance on the smallest nuance. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This CD is a good ‘way in’ to both composers. I had two hours of pleasure from playing this one twice through and thinking about it.

Heard from the next room it might be possible to confuse Sadie Harrison’s eloquently crafted compositions with the interleaved traditional Afghani music. Both styles are elegantly played and wonderfully recorded. Metier releases always sound excellent. David Lefeber has curated a catalog of consistently impressive discs. In such lofty company, this one still stands out. Metier has accomplished something quite remarkable with Harrison’s amazing music and the Bakhtar’s vibrant playing. Indisputably one of this year’s best.

Not to be missed on any account. This is without question one of my top recordings of the year, a ground-breaking release which points to the future scope of CD presentation. The Metier CD’s given total timing is a very sufficient 68 minutes, but the [multimedia] package offers you several additional hours instruction and illumination. The extras are easy to access and navigate; they work like a charm and enhance enjoyment and appreciation exponentially.

distinctive, pungent music that demands close attention.

The performances are as committed as expected. Would that all fusions of ‘world’ and ‘art’ music evinced such individuality and conviction.

Harrison has somehow managed to marry contrasting traditions, inter-relating them by association yet leaving the integrity of each intact. And that is no small achievement. I have heard various works by this still-young composer in the past, yet here I feel she has finally defined her own individuality. Find the CD and buy it.

t’s splendid to have a single disc devoted to the piano music of Castiglioni… such discs as Sarah Nicolls has now compiled are very much a rarity. The recorded sound is commendably clear yet warm and Nicolls explores these diverse works with a surety and finesse that are admirable – and truly winning.

The objectivity of post-darmstadt modernism hangs over everything in Niccolo Castiglioni’s music, but through this prism he’s free to express anything he wants. There’s florid decoration owing much to the vocal acrobatics of Italian opera; references to Baroque and classical keyboard stylings abound everywhere, and Castiglioni even plunders ragtime in one piece. British pianist Sarah Nicolls has a ball.

There’s not enough Castiglioni out on disc, so this one comes warmly recommended.

Debussy and Messiaen live on in the filigree and chords of Murail’s poetic piano compositions. True to form, Metier captures these atmospheric works and Nonken’s artistry superbly.

While listening I am constantly possessed by an impression of something beyond the world, not conventionally religious, but spiritual. This is music to which I shall be happy to return. As for the performances you can rest assured that in Marilyn Nonken we are hearing a musician of outstanding qualities. It is evident that she knows, strongly characterises and loves this music. She has performed it and many other ‘difficult’ contemporary works all over the world and is a pianist in whom we can trust. Her mastery of Murail’s sonorities and her virtuosity are truly remarkable and demand attention.