MUSIC FARMER 5 - Review by Adam Jones
The Art of Remembrance: Rago and Gómez Craft an Audible Dream
In the whispered hush of the concert hall, where the sacred dance of performer and listener gently unfolds, "Memories (Lady M)" emerges not merely as a piece of music but as a vessel of time travel, crafted by the deft hands of Maria Rago and given wings by the celestial soprano Laura Gómez. Held within its structure is the power to touch the soul and transport one to the inner chambers of nostalgia and introspection.
As the opus commences, a cadre of deep strings beckons us into a narrative so rich and vivid it could only belong to an epic saga. The ambiance set by these initial strains carries the weight of a timeless overture, reminiscent of the lush, verdant harmonies that blossomed under Debussy's touch. Yet, it is Maria Rago's own genius that casts this spell upon us, a modern invocation of classical spirits that conjures a tableau both haunting and exhilarating.
Within this crafted dreamscape, Laura Gómez's voice enters, a lustrous beacon that pierces the orchestral twilight. There is a profound purity in her timbre, a clarity that echoes the great Renée Fleming, and yet it is imbued with a distinct color that is unmistakably her own. Her voice is a painter's finest brush, stroking the canvas of Maria's composition with hues of sound that soar and dive in the boundless skies of human feeling.
Maria Rago's arrangement unfolds like a blooming nocturne, with the woodwinds tracing delicate filigrees around Laura Gómez's melodic line. Here, the dance is intimate and intricate, a pas de deux between voice and instrument that speaks of joy and sorrow, of moments lost and memories cherished. The cinematic breadth of the piece, stripped of electronic crutches, achieves a resonance that would not be out of place in the grandest of silver screen tales—containing that 'epic' quality often sought but seldom captured, reminiscent of the profound narratives that Hans Zimmer brings to life in his scores.
