Allure 2020

This album features two completely different works by French composers both written in 1944: Trio a Cordes Op.105 by Florent Schmitt and Suite La Muse Menagere by Darius Milhaud. One is turbulent and magnificent, the other intimate and poetic. The two composers could not be more different, and might be said to clash. And yet, Prisma String Trio feel their works are a beautiful match and complement each other well. Was it inspiration, call it the Muse, that brought the two together? Florent Schmitt's muse seems to be Music itself, leading him on in an explosion of compositional creativity. Darius Milhaud names his wife Madeleine as his muse and pours his gratitude into a musical tribute.

Each piece on this album, titled Undine, takes inspiration from fairy tales, myths and poems. These works perfectly represent the hidden symbolism and fervent romanticism of this period, and the aura of magic and allure they emanate is undeniable. Alongside the more well-known pieces by Debussy, Reinecke and Mouquet, Undine features a piece by the almost forgotten composer Albert Doyen (1882–1935), whose music blends perfectly into the context of this poetic journey.Reinecke is largely known for his flute music, which spans the 19th century, although his music still reveals the influence of the first German Romantics, particularly Mendelssohn and Schumann. Reinecke was inspired to write Undine Sonata after reading Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué’s eponymous fairy tale, which suited the German Romantics’ penchant for the supernatural. The fairy tale describes the water-nymph Undine’s search for earthly love, and each of the four movements evokes a precise moment in the story. The work brims with emotion, inspired by the romantic allure of the protagonist.

For his new album, Without People, Donovan Woods explains: “Anything but protest music feels out of place right now. In the middle of a pandemic, as the truth of our environmental devastation sinks in, in the thick of protests reshaping our thoughts on policing and crystallizing the reality of white supremacy at work in all corners of our society, it feels silly to write about relationships.

There is serendipity about Joachim Kühn and Mateusz Smoczyński having combined as a duo. Their musical conversations tend to be sparked off by catchy little themes or motifs. Dialogues evolve freely, but also have a real sense of focus. Their pulse and their breathing seem to be as one. The pair have the courage to set off wherever their combined fantasy and imagination will take them, finding all kinds of moods and emotions along the way.