Press Reviews / Orion
Vital Weekly
January 2017
After the wonderful release ‘Ich Als Du’ by Dalia Donadio and Linda Vogel as Schwalbe & Elephant, a new and rather short release by the Swiss Wide Ear Records. This time it concerns Im Wald, a project led by Tobias Meier. A young musician from Zürich who started Im Wald as collaboration between Swiss and French musicians: Matthias Spillmann (trumpet), Frantz Loriot (viola), Nicola Romanò (cello), Raffaele Bossard (bass) and Tobias Meier (sax and composition). From what I know Meier debuted with ‘Philippe & Paul’ in a duo with pianist Marc Méan also on Wide Ear Records. On ‘Orion’ Meier profiles himself above all as a composer of chamber music with a minor role as a player. The CD contains three works: The short piece ‘Flächen’, ‘Nebulae’ and ‘Orion’. Meier composes music of a reflective nature’ leaving room for decisions by the interpreters. The music moves slowly forward and is built from long-extended notes and patterns. Built from delicate and poetic sound blocks of a static nature. It is more about space than it is about time. Music that is atmospheric and quiet, but also demanding. (DM)