Thousand Year Dreaming/Floating World

Annea Lockwood

If there was any justice Annea Lockwood would be widely considered one of the finest living American composers. You might think that the title of a section of the title piece-The Chi Rises-portends something New Age but you couldn’t be more wrong. (Hope the establishment isn’t judging her by her titles!) Her music has a toehold in modernist classical music but is firmly post-classical. Part of what that means is she isn’t bound by the boring norms of most university composers. Thousand is haunting and ethereal and gradually builds up into something universal. As the title suggests it has an ageless sensibility much as does, say, Stockhausen’s Stimmung. It seems as though past, present and future all intermingle here. Most of it is composed but small parts are improvised. It’s a masterpiece and not to be missed. In Floating World Lockwood blends field recordings made by environmental sound artists into a richly sensual work that defies expectations as much as Thousand. A highly recommended record.

Pogus Productions

P21045-2

www.pogus.com

Richard Grooms