MARI KIMURA – The World Below G And Beyond

Mutable

The title refers to Kimura’s complete owning of a self-discovered technique which allows her to play solid notes in a gamut that, on the violin, is virtually impossible to utilize for mortal practitioners without pitch-disintegrating consequences. This collection – featuring pieces that exploit subharmonic investigations as well as computerized interactivity, such as “Izquierda Y Derecha For Violin And MIDI Piano” and “Bucknerian For Voice, Violin And Computer”, with Thomas Buckner – demonstrates that there’s no edge to be afraid of jumping from when an amazing ability is buttressed by the heart. This Japanese master explores technical difficulties head-on, the music still evoking a sense of organic pulsation; “living wood”, if you will. Genius and spirit in equal doses, also transpiring when the instrument’s tone is confronted by computational divergences. The protagonist’s strenuous dedication is practically visible, however she plays with an inside smile of awareness, turning distress – say, the anxiety before the execution of an arduous score – into radiant harmonic light generated by a lone source. Every episode causes the listener to grow richer, adding layers of acquaintance with materials entirely devoid of exhausting traits. And yet the sound remains utterly natural, flowing with ease, eliciting a gratification equalling that experienced when we look at an exceptional phenomenon. It takes many years of severe discipline to bring the violin to similar heights, but the inborn grace through which Kimura deploys all the procedures is evident. A handsome dancer on strings perfumed of enlightenment, a soul-searching virtuoso who knows that her discovery is extraordinary but, contrarily to the rule, is willing to share some of these secrets with the akin minds who perceive the untainted essence of Vibration even when it’s not apparent.