Since the beginning of the nineteen eighties, Peter Knight has been involved in free improvised music. 'The Gemini Cadenza' is very much in this vein. I have to confess that I had to look in the dictionary in order to find out what a 'cadenza' is:-
'Unaccompanied bravura passage introduced at or near the close of a movement; is a display not only of performing skill but also of more or less spontaneous invention and imagination.'
'Bravura', another word I am not familiar with, so again it was back to thedictionary.
'Bravura':- brilliance of execution; a display of daring and skill in artistic execution; a piece of music that calls out all the powers of an executant.
This is true of this latest offering from Peter Knight. 'Brilliance of execution; a display of daring and skill'; but it is more than these. If you don't like this CD then you won't like Peter Knight. Why? This music IS Peter Knight! This is Peter Knight laid bare, exposed for all to see. People often say that words cannot describe the way they feel. Well this music fills in the gaps. It is communication on a higher plane. It shows the inadequacies of mere words.
Almost all of the emotions are experienced when listening to this music -joy, fear, anxiety, happiness. It has the power to lift you up to the heights of ecstasy and plunge you down into the depths of despair. Take the third track for example, 'The life and death of Mrs. Pearson', arguably the most powerful piece on the CD. It is not for the faint hearted. If you have lost a loved one recently then I would advise you to steer clear of this one for a while! It is as though you are there at her bedside as she struggles to cling on to life. At one point the violin darts back and forth in a frenzy, like a fly that has just been sprayed with insecticide, trying desperately to fight off the inevitable. The imagery the music creates is so real.
There are four tracks on 'The Gemini Cadenza', all around the ten minute mark in length, each one touching on different emotions. Surprisingly the violin takes centre stage only on the first and third tracks, keyboard being the leading instrument on the other two. Peter's 'brilliance of execution', is just as evident whatever instrument he is playing. His touch and timing are as close to perfection as I have heard. But this is not about instruments or technique. After all, a violin is nothing but wood, glue and strings, a keyboard no more than plastic and silicon chips. This is about the emotions, our deepest feelings brought to the fore. Teased out of hiding by the power of music. For me to try and describe it, is like trying to tell you what a vintage wine tastes like, when all you have ever tasted is water, or the beauty of the Grand Canyon when you have spent all your life confined to one room. I could talk about the tension, almost fear at the beginning of track two, or the warmth and comfort of the final track, but 'The Gemini Cadenza' has to be experienced. It demands your attention. It is not background music. So my advice to you is buy it, draw the curtains, dim the lights and listen to the inner thoughts of Peter Knight. You won't be disappointed. Oh, and don't forget to have a box of tissues handy!