Monica Pearce - Textile Fantasies [Centrediscs]

Released via the four+ decades standing Canadian imprint Centrediscs on October 14th, 2k22 is "Textile Fantasies" which is the latest - and first ever - album by Brownsville, Texas-based composer Monica Pearce. Being drawn to both Opera and Chamber Music as well as musical executions by (toy) piano Pearce presents a total of eight new pieces rolled out over a playtime of roughly 69 minutes on her newly laid down longplay effort, brought to life by a plethora of contributing musicians and ensemble members in various, yet mostly non-repeating casts and solo settings with its compository content being entirely inspired by the particular texture of one specific type of fabric or pattern as stated in the accompanying press info. This being said - and with individual pieces dubbed "Leather", "Chain Maille", "Velvet", "Denim" amongst others - the music to be found on "Textile Fantasies" brings forth a certain feel of repetition combined with ever evolving varying textures from the very start of the dramatic harpsichord opener "Toile De Joy" onwards which immediately grabs the listeners attention due to the instruments most unusual sonic characteristics which are rarely experienced by modern day listeners in their full extent, subsequently followed my the more percussive, yet similarly dramatic and spine-tingling "Leather" and its ever so hounded movements whereas "Chain Maille" presents a chiming and surprisingly tender crystalline attitude. Furthermore both "Houndstooth" and "Silks" provide exercises in shimmering solo piano performance, "Velvet" fully indulges in actual, yet brooding and somewhat Reich'ian Minimal Music before "Damask" goes down a chiming and even more stripped down alley in combining tabla and piano sequences whilst the final cut that is "Denim" evokes memories of the strict and perfectly timed precision oftentimes displayed by military drum orchestras in their showcase performances for a reason. Defo one to check out for fans of Contemporary Classical composition, this.

Album artwork on Instagram!