Pascal Schumacher, Echo Collective – Luna (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/48kHz]

Pascal Schumacher, Echo Collective – Luna (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 41:28 minutes | 406 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Neue Meister

Pascal Schumacher’s new album LUNA stands in diametric opposition to his previous release, SOL. And it’s not just the play on the albums’ titles, which already point to the differing moods of lightness and darkness, both releases also stem from opposing creative standpoints. While SOL carried in it a sense of spontaneous discovery as Schumacher, after years of playing with bands and ensembles, ventured out in his first solo endeavour, LUNA captures a more meticulous side to the musician’s work which involved once again composing for other players; more specifically for the Belgium post-classical ensemble Echo Collective, who lends to the album its many layers and textures. Despite the contrasts, SOL and LUNA aren’t in any way antagonistic to each other, much on the contrary, their duality feels wholly complementary, expressing a natural musical progression much like day gently feeds into night.

Although working with strings wasn’t new for Schumacher who has in the past composed for orchestras and ensembles of all kinds, collaborating with Echo Collective on LUNA felt like a unique experience. The Belgium ensemble forged an enviable reputation in the post-classical world: sought out for their instrumental and arranging expertise by icons such as A Winged Victory For The Sullen and the late Jóhann Jóhannsson and known for lending their interpretative intuition to genres as diverse as alt rock, synth-pop and black metal. “I had always worked with classical string musicians, where you have to provide very complete scores and a lot of information. The musicians of Echo Collective intuitively knew what had to be done,” says Schumacher.

Tracklist:

01. Pascal Schumacher & Echo Collective – Luna (06:06)
02. Pascal Schumacher & Echo Collective – Rhythmicon (05:09)
03. Pascal Schumacher & Echo Collective – Charles Duke (04:26)
04. Pascal Schumacher & Echo Collective – Nostalgia (03:46)
05. Pascal Schumacher & Echo Collective – Résilience (08:25)
06. Pascal Schumacher & Echo Collective – Infinity (05:33)
07. Pascal Schumacher & Echo Collective – Impromptu (02:07)
08. Pascal Schumacher & Echo Collective – Saint-Lunaire (02:59)
09. Pascal Schumacher & Echo Collective – Molodost (02:54)

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