TRACK LIST:
1. ENCOUNTER (19:12)
for harpsichord, world percussion and electronics
2. HINAYANA (11:28)
for solo oboe
3. EPITAPH (9:49)
for cello and electronics
4. BETWEEN (11:05)
for violin and harpsichord

all world-premiere recordings

Genre: electroacoustic

Following his critically acclaimed debut CD 'Beyond the Bridge, ...' John Palmer returns with four new thought-provoking compositions featuring Pete Lockett, Jane Chapman, Piet Van Bockstal, Neil Heyde, Matthias Cordes and Renate Bratschke. As Palmer states: 'The music on this CD reflects a search for deeper shades of meaning through the exploration of instrumental virtuosity not as a routine display of technical skills and dazzling-show-off dexterity - which I have always regarded as boring and suspicious - but as a key to a deeper level of dialectic expressivity.'

'Encounter' is a dialogue between cultures and traditions. Jane Chapman's harpsichord meets Pete Lockett's world percussion in a sensual interplay of extreme virtuosity. The two are unified by the electronics which allow both opposite forces to melt into each other. In sharp contrast, 'Hinayana' is a meditative oboe solo which nevertheless pushes the instrument's possibilities to the extreme thanks to Piet Van Bockstal enormous skill. 'Epitaph' is probably the most emotionally charged piece of the CD, having been written after the suicide of one of the composer's closest friends. Here the cello, masterfully played by Neil Heyde, and electronics blend in a maelstrom of often unbearably terrifying sound. The final 'Between' takes the listener to a higher spiritual plane where Matthias Cordes' violin and Renate Bratschke's harpsichord evoke an imaginary space between two states of being. As with previous works, Palmer achieves his goals by extending the playing techniques of the instrumentalists and by careful interaction with the electronics, blurring the boundaries of where the instrument ends and where the electronics begin. All this never distracts from the powerful emotional 'Encounters' that are conjured by the music, leaving the listener with a sense of inner-journey and self-discovery.

Reviews:
'I am ever more amazed at the development of John Palmer's writing... The pieces are very strong and the command of sound - inner manipulation of acoustic structure - gets ever more magical! It is very powerful music that will demand as intense listening as it rewards with extreme emotional experience... Very admirable!' Jonathan Harvey

'John Palmers music reflects an amazing diplomacy of time, as in old and new, and space, as in east and west. He puts the seemingly incompatible happily together as in, for example, the way he brings a harpsichord into a world with electronic sounds and Middle Eastern drumming. His range includes melodic woodwind writing, cello and electronics combined, and violin and harpsichord duo; and his moods change from reflective to dramatic to playful. And whatever he does, he does with talent, refinement, and originality.' (CDe Music)

Credits:
Encounter:
Recorded and produced by John Palmer at Vision Studio, London, in March 1998.
Jane Chapman: harpsichord
Pete Lockett: world percussion
John Palmer: electronics

Hinayana:
Recorded at Logos Foundation, Ghent, Belgium, on 19th February 2001 and produced by John Palmer at Vision Studio, London, in March 2001.
Piet Van Bockstal: oboe

Epitaph:
Recorded and produced by John Palmer at Vision Studio, London, in June 1998.
Neil Heyde: cello
John Palmer: electronics

Between:
recorded at Radio Bremen, Germany, on 9th October 2000.
Matthias Cordes: violin
Renate Bratschke: harpsichord