Jeremy Thurlow - "Ouija"

 Jeremy Thurlow - Ouija

Thurlow finds a way for all of these sounds to fit together in an engaging and enjoyable manner, while Skaerved completely nails the rapid shifts and insanely high leaps.

Ouija is a five section, twenty minute long haze of a piece for solo violin and electronics. Jeremy Thurlow has combined tradition with improvisation, resulting in a work fit for some alien Bach. While composed back in 2012, Peter Sheppard Skaerved, the violinist who premiered the work, recently released the recording of the world premiere (which you can listen to here). Skaerved, renown for his interpretations of contemporary violin works, brings his all to this performance, making it nearly impossible to discern his improvisations from Thurlow's virtuosic writing.

While Ouija is split up into five sections, the piece functions better when perceived as one larger scale work. Thurlow's implementation of electronics is interesting in that is clearly enhances the solo violinist, at times turning Skaerved's sound into that of an entire string orchestra. Ouija makes its way through luscious melodic phrases, virtuosic technical passages, and dense sections of atonality. Somehow, Thurlow finds a way for all of these sounds to fit together in an engaging and enjoyable manner, while Skaerved completely nails the rapid shifts and insanely high leaps.

© 2023 Brutal New Music Reviews

originally written and published 9 July 2023

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