FiddleSticks

On first hearing Lou Harrison’s violin concerto, Madeleine Mitchell was entranced by the colourful array of percussion and its juxaposition with the violin’s innate lyricism. Indeed, this description could fit almost all the works featured on this lively, multi-rhythmic album. Both string and percussion blend in a unique mix of styles from early Andalucian music to a Stravinsky inspired piece, Fragments from a Gradual Process. Complex rhythms from the Ensemble Bash who use rhythms of West African drumming as the core of their playing, combined with Madeleine’s interweaving lines often catch the listener in a moment of surprise.