Creating free-flowing music that travels on the wind of improvisation rather than the confines of the anticipated, takes skill and inspiration. And this group has both. Its new collection of compositions and songs called “Wild Green’ is an enchanting exploration of the strength of the cycles of the natural world in English, Occitan and Middle English.
Angie Lemon
Just as nature bursts forth with new life and seasonal changes, so iyatraQuartet’s ambience on “Wild green” has been fully inspired by the natural world.
Clarinetist George Sleightholme describes the setting for the album’s inspiration: “The creative seeds for “Wild green” were planted during a series of rehearsals and performances while playing outdoors throughout the year in the gardens surrounding South London’s Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses. It was inspiring to be surrounded by various stages of growth and decay, with the sun and moon in the sky above. The album covers the natural cycle of the year, focusing on spring.”
Performing together for the last twelve years – violin virtuoso Alice Barron, master clarinetist George Sleightholme, leading cellist Rich Phillips and global fusion percussion maestro, Will Roberts – fuse roots-based, folk and global music on orchestral instruments, with four-part vocals.
Few albums are recorded on water. iyatraQuartet chose the place for an immersive recording experience, one that would assist in capturing the beauty and wildness of the natural world. “Wild green” was recorded on Lightship 95 Studio, formerly a floating lighthouse, now operating as a securely moored, floating studio on the River Thames, with state-of-the-art equipment and capability.
“Wild green” starts with the abstract song inspired by the sea, “Mandje”. Based on a tale from the brothers Grimm, “The fisherman and his wife”, it tells of an enchanted fish who grants the fisherman wishes in exchange for its life. The fisherman calls again and again for the fish (“Mandje! Mandje! Mandje!”), wishing for greater things but overreaches and loses all that he gained.
The album’s title track encapsulates the entire ethos of the album, in praise of the greenness of nature and the cycle of life that it contains. The music exudes the vivid green colours of late spring, and was originally inspired by the 12th century German writer, Hildegard of Bingen, aka Sibyl of the Rhine. It starts with a solo drone from a Shruti box and beautifully builds with strings and grooves.
It ends with intense group vocal singing of the greenness of nature and the cycle of life that it contains: “Wild green/Rooted in the sun/You shine, you burn.” The track is followed by the full strawberry moon on “Moon High”.
“Helios” is an ecstatic hymn to the midsummer sun, while we are treated to the wide skies encircling the last rose of summer on “Orkney Hymn”.
“Beatriz” is an emotive track of seasonal longing performed in Occitan and “Saffron” offers an autumnal glow. “Lullay” perfectly closes the year’s cycle but also the album, capturing winter’s darkness. On this yuletide lullaby “Lullay’, the harmonium, bass cello and viola are set to a mother’s song.
iyatraQuartet creates a mythical journey from the sea to the moon, from autumn’s glow to the sun and back. The music is steeped in ambient freshness, as especially evident on the standout track “New Life” on which iyatraQuartet embrace: “New life dancing in the sunlight/Taking delight in the equilibrium/ The story has just begun…”
In recent years, all members of iyatraQuartet have become parents, which has added to the richness of their creativity as is evident throughout this collection of original compositions. “Wild green” is iyatraQuartet’s third studio album and follows “This world alone” (2015) and “Break the dawn” (2020).
(Photos: Pixabay)
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