Description
Music is predestined to penetrate into border areas of perception and consciousness. In its fleeting appearance as a temporal art, existential dimensions are reflected as a matter of course; in its propagation from moment to moment, from sound to sound, its becoming and passing are inscribed. For the British composer John Palmer, mental and spiritual energy, as well as inner feelings, are central aspects of his imagination, which nevertheless ignites in a productive tension with extra-musical phenomena. His CD Other Places is exemplary of this. In those 'other places' - imaginary and real spaces - the thoughts, memories and experiences of a composer who is often inspired by Zen Buddhism and sees his life and work as a journey into his own inner self intermingle. In this inner sphere, spirit and matter, dream and reality, structure and sensuality merge inseparably. The individual pieces symbolise stages on this sonic journey, but despite metaphorically connecting lines between them, they each speak for themselves. Although each 'place' is a transit point to the next - just as life is ultimately only a stage between birth and death - it is these stopping points, these moments of intense perception, that essentially make up the beauty of life and invite us to linger. John Palmer traces times and 'spaces' in his works with great power of abstraction, penetrating emphasis and luminous tone colours. The sounds take on a life of their own and constantly explore the polarity between free flight and ritualistic character.
