Jane Antonia Cornish – Constellations Innova Recordings – Vicky Chow, Anna Elashvili, Arthur Moeller, Margaret Dyer Harris, Hamilton Berry (performers) rec. Reservoir Studios, New York City, Innova CD – INNOVA 006 TT; 43:55 (7/27/18) ****:
Very moving music that will take you to the cosmos
Ms Cornish is an award-winning composer who grew up in England and lives in New York City. In addition to being the first female ever to win a British Academy Award (BAFTA) for music and her growing list of film credits, she has a fine catalog of albums which gains a new addition with this recent release of Constellations. As with last year’s Into Silence (2017, Innova), Cornish once again presents us with a lovely narrative of space themed music. She’s accompanied by a small ensemble, and there is some deft and subtle use of electronic music as well.
Jane Antonia Cornish
This is music you simply shut your eyes to and let it flow into your imagination. The performance and orchestration are very nice, and the 5 tracks on the CD flow very nicely into one another. The disc is bookended with the title track, Constellations and Constellations II.
I was not surprised to learn Ms Cornish had written some film music, as the music easily could fit into a film type narrative. I liked all the tracks on the CD, but was especially taken with Lux. The strings shimmer, and the sound is lush and ethereal.
The recording is a good one, with a nice stereo spread between speakers. Although not a multitrack surround recording, I think a surround mix would serve this music well. It’s also very nice with good quality headphones.
Having heard this collection from Ms. Cornish I’m anxious to hear some more.
If you like quiet, contemplative contemporary music I think you’ll feel right at home with this CD.
Recommended
Track list:
Constellations I [7:33]
Lux [8:34]
Beyond the Sky [8:55]
Wave Cycles [10:22]
Constellations II [8:30]
—Mel Martin
