Following triumphs that included the imaginative experiments of 2017's What If and his scores for the films Adrift and The Current War, Hauschka's Volker Bertelmann makes his Sony Classical debut with A Different Forest, an album that exemplifies his talent at creating a sense of place with his music. Instead of the prepared piano that is usually at the heart of most Hauschka albums, Bertelmann uses pure piano to reflect the eternal beauty of the woods. However, A Different Forest is very much a piece with the rest of his work, echoing the searching feel of What If, the tender melodies of Ferndorf, and the musical landscapes of Abandoned City. Bertelmann begins the album with "Hike," a piece whose winding, contemplative melody feels organic and inviting; much like a walk in the woods, its ebb and flow lets listeners give themselves over to the rhythms of nature. In Bertelmann's hands, these rhythms are ever-changing. True to its name, "Urban Forest" is linear, percussive, and modern-feeling; "Hands in the Anthill" rises and falls on itself in intricate patterns. A Different Forest's moods are just as complex, spanning the effortless grace of "Dew and Spiderwebs" and "Skating Through the Woods," the sunny "Daybreak Over Covent Garden," and more somber moments such as "Talking to My Father" and "Woodworkers." By the time A Different Forest ends with "Another Hike," it's clear that this is a serene, thought-provoking album that grows richer with each listen.
© Heather Phares /TiVo