"Ralph Zurmühle is one of the finest contemporary piano composers on the planet. His poignant works appeal to a wide range of listeners, including classical music aficionados, but he has been known to cross many lines and many genres. His latest offering, Reflections, is not just about things done with mirrors. There are many kinds for reflections for his purposes. There are pools for reflection, times for reflection, and minds that are filled with reflection. Zurmühle's intention is to allow every kind of reflection imaginable to flourish with the help of his music. On this album he is completely successful.
No matter how many times I played the album, which was considerable, I always returned to the song Deep Waters. To me it had not only a Brubeckian feel to it, but also a great deal of pathos. What emotions can we expect to find when we plumb the blue depths of a human soul? Ralph measures that depth with his somewhat somber melody, but somehow the outcome has a promise in the end. All is not lost.
Dreamesque is the longest track on the album at over twelve minutes, and perhaps it is its most heartrending. It creates a place where the music invites your mind to wander. The melody is a haunting, moody refrain that builds a world of slippery shadows, revolving mirrors and rows and rows of closed doors. The music dares you to open a door and behold the contents. Then what do you do?
In this day and age, bells in Japan ring out for peace, but it was not always so. There was a time when they rang out a warning, a resounding caution that touted danger and symbolized the pain and anguish that was to come. It was a time of war. Ralph's beautiful composition, Chimes For Tsuyo, is a melancholy tune that resonates with an ageless sorrow. The song, with the sound of echoing bells, was inspired by a black & white image. It would have been uncomplicated if not for the shadows of suffering etched into the face Tsuyo, a survivor of Nagasaki. Now it is a stark reminder of not what to do. Ever.
Inside the cave it is cold. Water drips from stalactites and forms puddles on the floor. Reflected in the pools are dancing flames, and huddled in a corner is an old crone. Or so she seems. For, unfolding like the petals of a spring flower, this beautiful woman has the knowledge of the ages and if you are worthy, she will reveal more than you care to know. Such was the imagery provided by the tune The Oracle . The song is alluring and provocative and Ralph performs it with Mediterranean flair.
I listened to Under the Old Oak Tree with captive interest. I have the habit of sitting under the pin oak in the yard and watching the world go by. I can look up through the branches and stare at the sunlight as it splinters in the shadowy leaves and I can feel the warm breeze as it moves over the land. The boughs embrace me like wooden arms, and I feel like a part of nature, something mysterious that regulates the seasons.
Every Ralph Zurmühle album is, if anything, precise. Every detail attended to. The cover art is simple, yet refined. On Reflections, the cover is apropos. The contemporary piano music is evocative and yet musically flexible. You can be in any kind of mood and the music will seek you out and complement your feelings and it will add stimuli to your senses. In other words, it does its job superbly. Rating: Excellent."
