Nuance, shade, atmosphere in haze: these are the hallmarks of Lachlan Skipworth’s oeuvre. Everything said concisely, and yet indirectly.
The collection of pieces in Chamber Works Vol II remain typical of these attributes: they exist as crafted worlds, evocative and intuitive. But they possess a transformed sense of immediacy, a vibrancy that rewards not only the patient listener, but is written to captivate from the very first note.
The cover for Lachlan Skipworth’s new album Chamber Works Vol II
Even from the cover of the CD, a flush of colour, a far cry from the minimalist, monochrome cover of the first volume, this album promises something different. Though this leap forward is not without a glance backwards: to the fundamentals of melody, of harmony, of rhythm, and of course, to Bach. What follows is a new era for Skipworth, an era of rhythmic expressivity and of concise brevity, melodically determined. Bach’s offerings, whole harmonic sequences expressed through single melodic lines, are the driving force behind Skipworth’s reconception of melody, and ultimately, an inspiration for the Oboe Quartet, the opening work of the album.
Not only is the oboe, the...
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