Poppy Ackroyd: Escapement

Beautiful, imaginative, musical landscape!

With modest means Poppy Ackroyd has created a most delightful album.'Escapement' deploys piano, violin and subtle electronics to realiseher muse; seven magical instrumental compositions which, with theirgentle ebb and flow, deliver a rich tapestry of captivating sound.Ms Ackroyd's classical musical training has served her well. Althoughclearly contemporary in nature the music bears traces of her love ofthe great Renaissance composers and the English folk heritage in itssparkling melodic content and beguilingly structured arrangements.Although dynamic flow and thematic variation are often minimal in naturethe music has an organic quality which is both affecting and hypnotic.The gentle pizzicato pulse, limpid keyboard chords and keening violin partof 'Rain' seems to doff its hat to the sound worlds of Vivaldi and Coreli;'Glass Sea' is a beautiful invention with wave upon wave of graceful pianoarpeggios breaking on a distant shore and final track 'Mechanism', with itsmusical box character and subtle rhythmic drive, brings the album to a idyllicconclusion. Ms Ackroyd is to be much congratulated for her benevolent vision.Highly Recommended.