Staff Reviews

Matthew Bourne - Isotach

Review by Brian Coney

Isotach is a quite literal stark reminder that finesse and restraint can still bound forth on their own terms»

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Following his celebrated moogmemory project, Matthew Bourne returns to the piano for Isotach. Once again, spontaneity is the keyword where Bourne is concerned, catching on tape that pregnant moment when a piece begins to form. Skeletal piano motifs, an aching use of space and sparing cello arrangements are deployed to devastating effect. Recorded in his rural Yorkshire home, Bourne’s piano placed to overlook the moors while he works, the album title is a nod to the weather, which played a part in its creation. The recordings took place during what Bourne describes as “extreme weather”. If you listen carefully you can hear the wind and rain picked up on the microphones, the sparse instrumentation providing the calm in the eye of the storm. Both vinyl and CD editions feature a spot varnished sleeve, picking out the weather symbols that represent each track on the album.
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