Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: contemporary

  • Secret Garden

    Secret Garden

    The first notes entice you to open the gate then enter the garden of life, of sound and pleasure as you listen to the subtle creation of this delightful album presented by Monica Logani. Each of the twelve tracks encompasses a wide range of melodies with the piano the main instrument, often interwoven with acoustic and electric guitar as well as gentle, almost illusive, strings.

    To liken the collection to a garden is an interesting correlation as with any garden the plants, along with the designs to be planted, are chosen with great care, with the final presentation one of great beauty and enjoyment.

    Each of the tracks has been created over the past five years note by note and as with any garden, at times the work changes direction, as if guided by another hand but still maintains the essential element of relaxation.

    At times the music tantalises the memory as it hints at other pieces perhaps heard, other notes and compositions enjoyed, but then as with any flower or colour range, comes back to its own specific pattern, colour and style.

    Drifting effortlessly over the various elements we are encouraged meander slowly through the garden enjoying each of the factors which have inspired the various compositions, beginning with The Gardener, the person who sets out to commence the creation. In this case the piece has been written in commemoration of a gardener, who moved to his everlasting garden, far too soon.

    Autumn Sky brings in the various details of the spectacular sunset and sunrise’s often experienced in this season, along with the wonderful colours as the earth settles into a slower, easier pace, getting ready for the long and sleepy months of Winter.

    Carousel changes the tempo slightly followed by the beautiful solo piano piece, Butterfly, then the electric guitar combines with piano in Bali Bells to introduce a slightly exotic element into the garden.

    Journeys End followed by Between Two Worlds brings the journey through the garden to the end of the pathway, having enjoyed the colour, the peacefulness and the wonderful mix of surprises encountered along the ways as you walk between two worlds, becoming ready to return to the mundane, more refreshed and relaxed than before you entered  the ‘Secret Garden’.

  • Understanding the Signs

    Understanding the Signs

    Individual and yet symbolic, constructed and yet deconstructed, emotion with experience; all these are a component of this amazingly comprehensive, almost eclectic, musical score which encompasses a range of music styles from new-age ambient to classical orchestra: a big combination and one that does work, and work well.

    Each track has been created to describe or reimage an emotion, a feeling and challenge, with the majesty of a film score, the vibrancy of a fresh new day, and yet, encompassing a sober overtone which dictates the mood, the scene the place and in some instances the time.

    Each piece is intricate involving several changes of tempo, from the fast, upbeat to the slower more reflective notes; perhaps in the piece Towards a Perfect Moment, you can feel the musician trying time and time again, each time with more finesse, seeking to discover the single moment when everything comes together in ‘perfection’.

    As Hall says, he hopes that anyone who takes the time to listen finds something, some personal connection with the music, and there is something there for everyone to enjoy and discover something that is new, unique and pleasurable.

    Hall’s main instruments are the guitar and piano; his piano, is where his compositions commence, the place where he roughs out the beginnings of his compositions, the place where he sits and allows inspiration to evolve into music. His guitar, although played often, only features once in the track Gone But Not Forgotten, where it is simply a component of a much larger work.

    The mellow, almost sombre ebb and flow of the music can easily be related to living, to nature, to the world turning, to everyday life, and the sure knowledge that tomorrow, there will be a new beginning, a fresh start, a time of magnificence.

    In this multilayered collection of orchestral pieces, you marvel at the combinations used, the music styles combined, the joy and reflective nature of the emotions, but most of all, and in spite of the sombre nature of several of the pieces, discover at the final note, that yes, you really have enjoyed the journey!