Single Review For Annie Locke “A Night at the Ball”
Composed and Performed by Annie Locke
Review written by Kerry Barnes
Introduction
I love reviewing Annie Locke’s music because I already know that I will be ‘comforted, relaxed, at peace and touched by her playing from the heart’ Her music is very distinctive, easily accessible and somewhat meditative and lives on a wide ranging musical spectrum. Timeless. “A Night at the Ball” Annie begins with a twinkle in her eye, like illuminated glasswork, and a simple dotted rhythm in octaves, just so delightful. I can just picture her improvising this piece in the beginning, in it’s embryonic state, which is a gift sent from heaven to be sure!! The melody is set, and so beautiful as it welcomes the graceful dancers to the floor. They look in fine fettle and are ready for their cue from Annie’s gorgeous phrasing. At her baton, their heels lightly raise, and then whisked away! Annie is well known for her long lingering melodies, and she does not disappoint. Her choice of close family modulations are just simply intoxicating, and the harmonies are rich and full, as always.
This really is timeless piano playing. The left hand is so even and consistent, it drools like hot toffee on an oil painting. This is the smoothest Waltz I’ve ever heard, even I could dance to this, and I can’t dance for toffee!! Am loving the ‘rubato and fermata’ points, time to gather ourselves, ready to further embed this musical experience of bliss to our very core. The filigree spread chords with melody at their tips are expertly controlled and delivered, and you should witness these hands of divinity as they cast their spells up and down the piano keyboard, I have seen them!! The playing around with melodies is another one of Annie’s hallmarks, as she plays the first phrase in octaves then immediately follows on in singular notation, so effective. (I only use the singular as my hands do NOT like any sort of octave playing!!)
A little bird told me that she thought this track sounds a little different from earlier works, but I completely disagree, as soon as my ears netted this scoop I knew who it was immediately, within the very first bar!! There’s not one sharp edge in this piece and I think that’s partly due to the amount of notes the left hand is playing, in wonderful continuum. Annie is an expert at pedalling and her fascinating chord and note holding throughout is second to none, catching whatever she wants in her musical net.
I love the way Annie has avoided the Viennese tradition of accenting the 2nd beat of the bar in ‘waltz-form’…..it’s ok for Strauss but not here, this is pure gold-leaf smoothness. Most of the time when I’m ‘reviewing’, my daughter Penny sits next to me at the table doing her own art prepping etc. and I always know that when she starts to sing the melody of the piece I’m working on at that moment and has only heard it a couple of times, that it is a ‘gem’!! ……It’s so gorgeous in predictability and the listener is left feeling completely satisfied. As we draw to a close, a very unassuming end leads us to rest, like a ballerina’s last pose, held and kept close. Thank you Annie for my ‘night out at the ball’……God knows we all need this right now!!!
Composed and Performed by Annie Locke
Review written by Kerry Barnes
Introduction
I love reviewing Annie Locke’s music because I already know that I will be ‘comforted, relaxed, at peace and touched by her playing from the heart’ Her music is very distinctive, easily accessible and somewhat meditative and lives on a wide ranging musical spectrum. Timeless. “A Night at the Ball” Annie begins with a twinkle in her eye, like illuminated glasswork, and a simple dotted rhythm in octaves, just so delightful. I can just picture her improvising this piece in the beginning, in it’s embryonic state, which is a gift sent from heaven to be sure!! The melody is set, and so beautiful as it welcomes the graceful dancers to the floor. They look in fine fettle and are ready for their cue from Annie’s gorgeous phrasing. At her baton, their heels lightly raise, and then whisked away! Annie is well known for her long lingering melodies, and she does not disappoint. Her choice of close family modulations are just simply intoxicating, and the harmonies are rich and full, as always.
This really is timeless piano playing. The left hand is so even and consistent, it drools like hot toffee on an oil painting. This is the smoothest Waltz I’ve ever heard, even I could dance to this, and I can’t dance for toffee!! Am loving the ‘rubato and fermata’ points, time to gather ourselves, ready to further embed this musical experience of bliss to our very core. The filigree spread chords with melody at their tips are expertly controlled and delivered, and you should witness these hands of divinity as they cast their spells up and down the piano keyboard, I have seen them!! The playing around with melodies is another one of Annie’s hallmarks, as she plays the first phrase in octaves then immediately follows on in singular notation, so effective. (I only use the singular as my hands do NOT like any sort of octave playing!!)
A little bird told me that she thought this track sounds a little different from earlier works, but I completely disagree, as soon as my ears netted this scoop I knew who it was immediately, within the very first bar!! There’s not one sharp edge in this piece and I think that’s partly due to the amount of notes the left hand is playing, in wonderful continuum. Annie is an expert at pedalling and her fascinating chord and note holding throughout is second to none, catching whatever she wants in her musical net.
I love the way Annie has avoided the Viennese tradition of accenting the 2nd beat of the bar in ‘waltz-form’…..it’s ok for Strauss but not here, this is pure gold-leaf smoothness. Most of the time when I’m ‘reviewing’, my daughter Penny sits next to me at the table doing her own art prepping etc. and I always know that when she starts to sing the melody of the piece I’m working on at that moment and has only heard it a couple of times, that it is a ‘gem’!! ……It’s so gorgeous in predictability and the listener is left feeling completely satisfied. As we draw to a close, a very unassuming end leads us to rest, like a ballerina’s last pose, held and kept close. Thank you Annie for my ‘night out at the ball’……God knows we all need this right now!!!