Thomas DeLio - Selected Compositions II (1972 - 2015) [Neuma Records]

Stepping deeper into the musical legacy of American artist, writer and music theorist Thomas DeLio whose entire back catalogue is about to be released via Neuma Records as a part of the Neuma Composer Series we're now exploring "Selected Composition II (1972 - 2015)" which covers a much wider time range than its predecessor and is going back to the very beginning of the long time composers career. Once again filled to the brim with a total of 18 pieces of mostly sparse, minimalistic and undoubtedly academia-focused works comprised of large sonic voids, punctual eruptions of warped vocal snippets and a cold, otherworldly and metallic aesthetic characteristic for DeLio's musical approach it is especially older pieces like 1990's "Anti-Paysage" for flute, piano, percussion and tape, even the tender stripped down piano romanticisms of 1983's "Text", the partly thundering Contemporary Classical outing "Serenade" from 1974 or, for a more contemporary exercise, 2004s " - en / L'espace De..." involving both soprano vocals as well as the Prague Radio Symphony orchestra which document and capture the evolution of DeLio's sound from minimal, yet warm and to some extent even mystical or naturalistic towards his sound of today. Further recommendations on this album include the crunched fragmentary vocal reworks at the very start of "Inents (Version 2)", the sparkling piano excercise of Transparent Wave II" as well as the 1972 five part composition "A Draft Of Shadow" which might the closest to classical Stage / Screen / Score work we've heard from the catalogue of Thomas DeLio so far.

Album artwork on Instagram!