Dustin O'Halloran – Lumiere
Having previously released two solo piano CDs, Dustin O'Halloran pulls out all of the stops with sumptuous arrangements gained by adding layers of accompaniment to his piano by some fantastic musicians. Arranged around his own piano work, the textures are woven and enhanced, notably with the string parts being performed by New York's acclaimed ACME ensemble. This is very evident from the start with the slow and moody album opener 'A Great Divide'; where the strings grow in intensity as well as volume over the omnipresent piano to cut a heart-rending, almost vicious lament.
The album has many magical moments, ably utilising subtle electronics, guitar from Adam Wiltzie and violin from prodigious young composer / arranger Peter Broderick. The arrangements are lush in most cases though with some very nice understated moments, often featuring just haunting piano. With clever use of these techniques and musicians and the considerable talents of the ACME ensemble, O'Halloran manages to layer the sounds and weaves his arrangements to produce some very moody and exhilarating pieces. Almost mini symphonies, the tracks are filled with emotion. From the eerie electronics to the solid wall of strings, the whole collection is captivating.
This magical album has been self-produced by O'Halloran over three years, in the various locations – New York, Berlin and Italy. It captures a unique mixture of textures which are always delivered with grace and perfection. O'Halloran is no stranger to penning big sounds, having written music for Sofia Coppola's film "Marie Antoinette" (2006) and William Olsen's "An American Affair" (2010). "Lumiere" highlights his talents to the full and has numerous unforgettable moments, particularly the violin harmonics, the piano phrasing and the string quartet texturing which are evident throughout.
The album is good enough to stand on its own and would, in my opinion, lend itself to being a film score. That said, on the forthcoming movie from co T writer/director Drake Doremus, "Like Crazy", O'Halloran contributes the soundtrack (and in which three tracks from 'Lumiere' - We Move Lightly, Opus 55 and Fragile N.4 all feature). The film won the main competition at the Sundance Film Festival and has been picked up by Paramount for an autumn release.