Release Date: May
13, 2014
Harold Moses is an educator, composer, master violist,
harmonic theorist, recording artist and works for Harmonic Research and Design
specializing in vibrational health and wellness devices.
In Serenity Harold
Moses performs on the viola and Michael Hoppé delights us on the keyboards.
Each piece is recorded in one sitting, letting each artist wind around the
other in perfect symmetry. Each track is matched to a month in the year, each a
reflection on the essence of each month. The first track is “Serenity I” and with
fragile and elegant musings, the strings and keys come to flagrant life.
Poignant and effervescent this piece will stir your soul. Having never
encountered a Michael Hoppé album previously (living in a cave I think) my ears
sighed and my heart just smiled. This is how music should be. It is the epitome
of relaxation. If anyone has ever thought of the humorous but heartfelt phrase,
“serenity now” you need to check out this album. It is just that.
March swings in with wild tumultuous vigor in “Serenity
III,” like a breath of storm on the horizon, waiting to pelt you with shivering
rain. The tension is palpable and the feelings evoked, raw. Longing and bliss
at the vibrant heart of this piece pulse and throb for a romp through windswept
fields, weather whipping your hair about your face in a frenzy of activity. Joy
in the act of living, even as the rain stings your skin in its veracity.
“Serenity X” has to be my favorite on the album. The
scent of autumn crisp in your nostrils as October sets in. Burnt Orange and blustery
winds lead you into the colder seasons of the year. Oh so brief, but so
powerful.
December greets us in “Serenity XII” with an almost
“Taps” finality. The year is winding to a close and the soulful fragile moments
sprung from the echoing viola and keyboard call forth memories and thoughts of
faith and family. Edgy and at the precipice of new beginnings, this piece leads
right into the New Year with “Serenity XIII” a delicate and touching piece that
is exquisite in its beauty and serene in its majesty. Beauty in the fresh
breath of a new start, this piece winds up the album with a bittersweet and
haunting melody that will make your finger itch to hit the replay button.
Michael Hoppé and Harold Moses have created something
here that goes beyond words. These thirteen improvisations are truly masterful
and each is paired with its own haiku by Brett Brady. If you could reach into
the heavens and pluck down a ray of the essence of life, love and the
reflections of what it means to be human and alive then here you have it.
Tender and evocative, these two artists and composers set about to craft an
album in one sitting and they did just that. Five stars all the way and I am
forever a fan girl. Serenity Now. Seriously. You can’t feel any other way when you
listen to this masterpiece. It is quite simply, bliss.
5/5
Stars
Key
Tracks: Serenity I, Serenity III, Serenity X, Serenity XI, Serenity XIII
November 30, 2014
Review
Provided By New Age Music Reviews