SIGNATURE – SOLO -review

Signature – Solo, Fiona Joy, TinyIslandMusic.com, 2015, CD, MP3, $19.99.

As I listened to Signature – Solo with friends, someone used the word “ethereal”, which means “otherworldly”, a very apt word indeed for this CD.

        There’s a melancholy aura to some of the pieces; a feeling of longing that is intriguing and touching. There are two versions of Once Upon Impossible, one with Fiona playing solo on piano and one with guitarist Lawrence Blatt. Both versions drew me in and carried me. We listened to them multiple times to experience the similarities and differences, and each time we listened, we were thoroughly entertained.

    Fiona plays with a passion I rarely hear from other pianists. She’s flawless as her fingers caress the keys of the 1885 Steinway.

      I read a bit of Fiona’s biography and now understand where her passion for music—and her perfection—come from. She had classical piano training and loved the music of Prokofiev, Mendelssohn and George Winston. Quite a variety, and it certainly shows in her playing.

       We played the CD at a gathering of friends, using it as background music. As it began, however, conversation stopped and we sat back, enthralled. Occasionally someone spoke; words like “evocative”, “enthralling”, “passionate”, “emotional”.

        There are snippets of each piece online, and I’m sure that each one will encourage you to purchase Signature – Solo so you can listen to it again and again.

- Chris Palmer