The See Within (CD review)

Echo Collective. 7K! 7K024CD.

By Karl W. Nehring

Readers who have followed Classical Candor for a while might remember the Brussels-based musicians Echo Collective from our review of their DG release 12 Conversations with Thilo Heinzmann, music composed by the late Jóhann Jóhannsson. They have had an interesting and varied career, performing in concert settings in support of  artists such as Jóhannsson and A Winged Victory For The Sullen. They have also lent their interpretative talents to releases by themselves and others and others in musical genres as diverse as alt.rock, synth-pop, and black metal. Classical music fans need not worry, however, because The See Within, which is Echo Collective’s first album comprising their own original material (one of their previous releases, for example, was their instrumental version of Radiohead’s Amnesiac). Although The See Within is clearly contemporary in outlook, is fits without too awkward a stretch into the Western “classical” chamber music tradition.

The music is scored for violin, viola, cello, harp and, in its first appearance on a commercially released album recording, the magnetic resonator piano (MRP). “All sounds are acoustic, and produced in real time,” explain Echo Collective co-founders Margaret Hermant (violin, harp) and Neil Leiter (viola). “No processing or post-production other than reverb. The acoustic element is Echo Collective’s identity. A natural sound.”

The MRP, of which only one currently exists (built by its inventor, Andrew MacPherson), is something else again. I listened to the CD several times and assumed that there must be some subtle electronic instrumentation involved, some sort of synthesizer or perhaps electronic processing of the sound produced by a piano and perhaps some other instruments, although overall most of the sounds seemed quite natural. Only later did I do a little investigation and learn that all the sounds on the recording were acoustic. What I thought were synthesized tones were produced acoustically by the MRP, in which powerful electromagnets fitted to an acoustic piano – “imagine the effect of a giant E-bow” suggests Hermant – and an extra pedal prolong the notes, creating the kind of sustain and crescendos that can be achieved with strings. The MRP preserves all the sounds and techniques of the acoustic piano, while expanding its range of sounds to include things such as infinite sustain, crescendos (including crescendos from silence), harmonics on each string, new timbres that can be shaped in real time, and subtle pitch bends. Leiter explains that “in contrast to the conventional (hammer-actuated) piano sound, the sounds of the MRP are pure and ethereal, emphasizing the fundamental frequency of each string over its high partials. We discovered the MRP about six months before recording the album. It allowed us to give piano and strings equal expression, and to present a unified acoustic sound, since any drone effect on a piano is usually reliant on electronics. It’s been fascinating to take a traditional instrument and set it free.”

The MRP is played by Gary De Cart, The See Within’s third composer alongside Hermant and Leiter, while the album’s fourth musician, cellist Charlotte Danhier, is credited with co-writing the title track. Both De Cart and Danhier are regular members of the fluctuating collective, but the core of the ensemble is its two founders.

The opening cut, “Inflection Point,” sounds like fairly straightforward chamber music, with some subtle use of the MRP, while the second cut, “The See Within,” begins to let us hear what the MRP is capable of, creating some interesting sustains in the lower strings of the piano as a foundation for the sounds of the violin and harp above.

In the third cut, “From Last Night’s Rain,” we hear chords on the piano in addition to some other occasional effects. However, I should not over-emphasize the MRP; in truth, it is an integrated part of a true chamber ensemble, and there is much more to this music than just the sound of this instrument, which I have focused on because of its unusual nature, not because it has in any way dominated the sound of the music. At least to my mind’s ear (or ear’s mind), cut 4, “The Witching Hour,” expresses longing mingled with apprehension. It is a focused and convincing piece of music.    

Cut 5, “Glitch,” opens with some unusual sounds that resemble the calls of dolphins. As the music progresses, the listener can perhaps imagine it being part of the soundtrack for some psychological thriller. The next piece, “Unknown Gates,” gives prominence to the harp with support from the MRP. It really does function as something of a gateway, bringing us to the major composition on the album, the 11-minute “Respire.” This truly is a remarkable piece of music, calling upon the sounds of the MRP, the cello, the violin, and the harp to evoke feelings of calm, joy, peace, and wonder. Listen, breathe, behold, be calm, be well. The final track, “First Brightening,” turns the energy level up a notch or two. After all, we must not be content to sit and be well, we must stand and do good, bringing about some brightening.

All in all, The See Within is a musical breath of fresh air blowing in from Brussels. Give this remarkable album an audition and be amazed, as was I, that all the sounds you hear are produced by acoustic instruments. I look eagerly forward to future releases by this remarkable ensemble, regardless of musical genre. Brava and bravo! 

KWN