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Charlotte Hug / Fred Lonberg-Holm: Fine Extensions
ByGiven that history, the two should know each other well enough to avoid an awkward tentative period at the start. Nonetheless, the start of "Part One" is most reminiscent of birdsong, with each player sending out their trademark call to identify themselves. If that suggests competition between the two players, with them staking out the territory they intend to occupy, thankfully it never materializes. Overall, the reality is more akin to birds' mating rituals than to the daily dawn chorus. Soon viola and cello are engaging in rapid-fire call-and-responses, leading to sympathetic passages in which they interweave sustained notes to produce a harmonizing drone.
Across three varied and contrasting piecestwo extended improvisations and a third shorter onethey do display familiarity with each other's playing through their rapid responses. Occasionally one will generate a snippet of melody that is picked up and repeated, back-and-forth, before fading away and being subsumed into the whole. Throughout, they make good use of dynamics, with the volume and pace intermittently falling to allow for quiet passages full of small, detailed sounds. Such passages do not sound premeditated, instead emerging as a natural consequence of their interactions. Remarkably, the entire album is devoid of any music that is reminiscent of the instruments' roles in classical music or in string arrangements deployed in jazz or rockone reason it sounds so fresh, every time it is played.
Towards the end of "Part Two," Hug begins using her voice as another sound layer to complement the two instruments, melding with her viola playing to good effect. At times, she vocalizes rather than sings, frequently producing eerie, other-worldly sounds that serve as a reminder of her penchant for performing in odd locations, such as the London Dungeon or the ice tunnels of the Rhône glacier.
Hug's singing continues on "Part Three" which acts as the album's tailpiece. She sings properly, letting her voice soar in a quasi-operatic style reminiscent of a soprano's warm-up exercises. With the voice offset by harmonizing string drones, it brings the album to an excellent close.
Track Listing
Part One; Part Two; Part Three.
Personnel
Charlotte Hug: viola, voice; Fred Lonberg-Holm: cello.
Album information
Title: Fine Extensions | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Emanem
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Charlotte Hug / Fred Lonberg-Holm
CD/LP/Track Review
John Eyles
Emanem
Charlotte Hug
Fred Lonberg-Holm
Fine Extensions