Reclaiming Eros by Andrew Keeling

Love Actually...

Probably best known to KC fans for his work on orchestrating Robert Fripp soundscapes and two CD Rom guides (LTIA and ITWOP), Andrew Keeling is an accomplished composer in his own right and something of a hidden treasure.

At a time when contemporary classical music seems either hell-bent on doing you good like a castor oil cure or soothing the soul to the point of being musical Mogadon, Keeling resolutely walks his own path independent from clique or trend.

His last album, Quickening The Dead (2000 Riverrun Records) showcased his talent for bringing together eclectic source material (Nick Drake, Jung, William Blake, Sylvia Plath) with sprightly, discursive chamber pieces.

What was interesting about Keeling’s work was the way he managed to combine a kind of experimental rigour with something more akin to old-school romantic traditions. With Keeling you get the best of both worlds; music that is conceptually sound but the antitheses of dry academia, music that is direct, full-blooded and passionate.

Keeling’s love affair with melody continues unabated on his new release, Reclaiming Eros. The radiant fanfare of the title track is infused with a dazzling light that continually plays over the myriad of surfaces touched upon by the Stor Quartet during this cornerstone piece. Like a heated debate between friends gathered around a table, the violin, viola, cello and piano constantly reference and reinterpret the other’s commentary.

Although the first ten minutes of the piece has many contrary arguments and motifs all moving at a galloping pace, Keeling brilliantly keeps track of it all presenting the varying tensions coherently and persuasively.

All dissenting voices evaporate during the languorous coda – arguably the most moving and emotional of moments on the album.

It gives way imperceptibly to Scarlet Letters, a piece for classical guitar played by Abigail James. Here is a monologue full of wit and wry invention; sweet and sour passages which build and cascade in dextrous complexity. Once again, Keeling never lets technique triumph over the melodic character of the music and like the preceding track powers down to a reflective finale that has one rapt to its the very last note.

So engrossing is Scarlet Letters’ musing the vocal piece which follows, Powered By Joy performed by the Gothic Voices ensemble, is akin to being doused in cold water such is the unexpected volume of its arrival . Such a shock to the system certainly refocuses attention but risks dispelling the atmosphere of intimate warmth which James had painstakingly established. The transition from the sublime Gefunden (performed by Yukimi Kambe Viol Consort),with its rich oozing melodies and luscious soft-focus textures to Suele, for mezzo-soprano Catherine King aside, avoids any shock tactics enabling the listener to more carefully assimilate the change of pace and direction.

Whatever the notions and theories which underpin the music on this release, the acid test of their value is their accessibility and capacity to excite, engage and touch the heart of the listener. With Reclaiming Eros Keeling does the job on all counts.

Available from Burning Shed Records