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Jozef Van Wissem - It Is All That Is Made - LP/CD

Jozef Van Wissem - It Is All That Is Made - LP/CD

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Brand new full length comprised of six compositions from acclaimed lutenist Jozef Van Wissem (half of Brethren of the Free Spirit with James Blackshaw). It Is All That Is Made consists of circular pieces composed for 10 course renaissance - and 13 course baroque lute.

The titles of the pieces and the storyline critically juxtapose the first chapter of Genesis with more contemporary narratives. This evokes a parallel to the mixing of idiomatic classical lute material of the 17th century with modern folk and avant-garde music. The pieces are played forward, then backward, creating music that is potentially without beginning or end. It Is All That Is Made consists of recurring minimal themes emphasizing the listening experience. The photograph on the front cover was taken during a Summer outdoor festival in Portugal staged on museum steps in front of a large crowd without any amplification or artificial light in true cinematic Dogme style.

Composer/lute player Jozef Van Wissem is renowned for his unusual approach of the Renaissance and Baroque lute, probably the most unlikely of instruments in the world of contemporary music. He cuts and pastes classical pieces, reverses melodies, adds electronics and processed field recordings made in airport lounges and train stations. The unusual wedlock of composition and improvisation creates an unheard of amalgam of contemporary folk and early music. Van Wissem has accomplished the strange feat of bridging the idiom of seventeenth century lute literature and twenty-first century contemporary music. Although he uses subtle electronic sound manipulation, he has largely stayed faithful to the particular timbre, resonance and playing technique of the lute.

Van Wissem initially achieved notoriety due to his radical conceptual approach to Renaissance lute music. He deconstructed existing compositions, for instance by playing them backwards. He also composed his own pieces for lute, using palindromes and mirrored structures. His music therefore does not have a traditional linear progression, nor any lead to a climax, rather it stays on the same level of intensity throughout. His music not so much demands concentrated listening, but naturally fosters such a state of repose in the listener. Van Wissem extensively tours worldwide, and also lectures on composing for and improvising on the lute. He also works with the likes of Maurizio Bianchi, James Blackshaw and Tetuzi Akiyama. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Darkness Falls Upon the Face of the Deep

2. It Is All That Is Made

3. The Heart's Blood Pours Forth Over the Head

4. In You Dwells the Light Which Never Sets

5. How Long Will It Go On After You Have Gone

6. The Stars Fall From the Sky And the Heavens Are Rolled Up Like A Scroll

7. Sola Fide

REVIEWS

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