Bekah Simms - Bestiaries [Centrediscs]

Another fresh one released via the Canadian Centrediscs label on October 28th, 2k22 is Bekah Simms' "Bestiaries", a three pieces and 34 minutes spanning album which sees the currently Glasgow-based composer exploring contemporary music and composition from a very unique personal angle, fusing a classical chamber orchestra x ensemble performance approach with explorative live electronics and a surprisingly dark, hyperdramatic attitude which, at some occasions, evokes faint and distant memories of score music used in cinematic milestones like 'Star Wars' in the opening piece "Foreverdark", a piece moving from dense, agitated full orchestration to enchanted, playful minimalisms and back whereas "From Void" is as spatial and brooding as its name suggests, catering a menu of spine-tingling reverberating tones, eerie creaks and squeaks as well as powerful, fever'ish and most of all a combination of irregularly erupting drums and abused, spiralling strings which abruptly switch the listeners nervous system into high alert and high awareness mode without ever providing full on relief. Furthermore the closing piece that is "Bestiary I & II" provides an amalgamation of dramatic emotional, Opera-leaning soprano vocals and a musical ark spanning from hovering naturalistic minimalism to highly expressionistic climaxing orchestral swells and eruptions, basically telling a story of sonic war and peace within a little less than 12 minutes. Defo an album that is beyond any words and description other than it being a thrilling avantgarde journey for fans of Contemporary Classical as well as score music alike.

Album artwork on Instagram!