Out August 5, 2022 on BIS Records, The Strange Highway is an album of works whose haunting, ethereal landscapes are not static: this body of sonic spaces is restless, ever shifting and re-forming. In track after track of stark beauty, composer Gity Razaz showcases her impressive command of string instrument writing and takes us on a journey into cavernous spaces filled with unearthly sonorities and evocative, immersive story-telling.
Duo for violin and piano, expertly performed by violinist Francesca dePasquale and pianist Scott Cuellar, is a brilliant set of contrasting movements. The first movement’s beginning is painted in solemn, dark, languid tones. Slowly arching melodies ache their way into a riotous middle section; the movement ends in a hushed translucence. The second movement boasts sharp, cutting material in both instruments. Virtuosic runs and dramatic leaps between extremities of range give this movement an incendiary quality. Dry, stubborn staccati and pizzicati fill this half of the work a sense of obstreperous mischief; a wealth of intelligent exuberance laughing in the face of something more sinister.