Performers: Mark McGregor, flutes; Ariel Barnes, cello; Marcus Takizawa, viola; Joy Yeh, harp; Brian Nesselroad, percussion
TRACKS
1. Autumn Nightfall (2013) 11:30
Mark Takeshi McGregor, flutes; Ariel Barnes, cello; Brian Nesselroad, percussion
2. Apogee (2005) 7:23
Mark Takeshi McGregor, flute
3. coming home (2010) 12:05
Mark Takeshi McGregor, flute; Brian Nesselroad, percussion
4. Nuclide (2014) 16:01
Mark Takeshi McGregor, flute
From Fire to Water (2015)
5. Fire 6:20
6. From Fire to Water 9:31
7. Water 4:29
Onyx Trio (Mark Takeshi McGregor, flute; Marcus Takizawa, viola; Joy Yeh, harp), Brian Nesselroad, percussion
credits
released June 15, 2018
Apogee: Music of Farshid Samandari
Since arriving in Canada from Tehran in 2001, composer Farshid Samandari has become a mainspring of the Western Canadian music scene, acquiring his doctorate of music in 2014 and, in 2013, becoming composer-in-residence for the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra — a position that has allowed him to build bridges with musicians and artists all over the world, and help make Vancouver the intercultural hub that it is.
While this album is primarily focussed on Samandari’s chamber music, it provides an excellent overview of those things that inform his work in general: Persian classical music and literature, Japanese noh theatre, European avant-garde, even physics. The confluence of these seemingly disparate sources fuels his unique voice and inspires his personal maxim, “Unity in Diversity.” Moreover, each piece is deeply autobiographical. Exile, wandering, the search for a home (both physical and spiritual), and the triumph over adversity are all recurring themes. To this end, the flute takes on a particularly important role in this album: it is the artist’s voice, it is the listener’s guide through unfamiliar landscapes, and it is the bridge that connects old and new worlds.
These almost heartbreakingly gentle felted piano compositions have the delicacy and loveliness of slow-falling snow. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 30, 2023