aaamusic | On 09, Feb 2011

Piano genius Dustin O’Halloran produces another gem of bravura, romanticism and melancholy. Nine tracks of absolute magnificence pave the way to a new phase for the American artist.

“Lumiere”, this is the name of his third album, is richer in sound and texture compared to “Piano Solos” and “Piano Solos Vol. 2”. O’Halloran is here joined by New Yorker ensemble ACME (Grizzly Bear, Nico Muhly, Matmos) that provide more depth in the atmosphere of the album. Peter Broderick’s violin, especially in ‘Opus 43’ and ‘Quintet N.1’ adds some heartbreaking elements that remind Yann Thiersen and the latest works of Ludovico Einaudi.

The guitar of Adam Wiltzie (Stars of the lid) completes the super-group that move closer to Eluvium, Goldmund (Helios), and Max Richter, another bright star in Fatcat firmament.

After collaborating with Sophia Coppola in Marie Antoinette’s soundtrack and with William Olsen in An American Affair, O’Halloran seems to have reached a new level of awareness of his talent. The orchestral perfection of Sigur Ros is here represented in a minimal key.

The same life of the artist reflects itself on the notes of “Lumiere”, from the quite grey days spent on New York and Berlin on a Bosendorfer piano in Grunwald Church, unto the sunny and dry sunsets of Italian rural Emilia Romagna.

“Lumiere” will accompany us in the latest winter reflections, taking us into spring with its melancholic hope and expectations blissfully unfulfilled.

Author: Lorenzo Coretti