The cover image conveys a great deal about the nature of the musical contents it houses. The two performers – Stefan Rusconi at a vast pipe organ (granted, not as vast as the one at Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, NJ, but these instruments are always huge, and hugely impressive to behold, both visually and aurally) and Tobias Preisig bowing a violin – are blurred in motion against the backdrop of ambient microphones, amplifiers and trailing cables. It’s relevant because musically, on ‘Levitation’, everything blurs.
The violin scrapes, squeaks and wails mournfully over a slow, low-level drone which gently undulates beneath on the 15-minute opener, ‘Beatrice’. Gradually shifting and altering in tone, it turns to create moments of understated grandeur which reflect the setting in which it was recorded. A spiritual, awe-inspiring feel permeates the music. This is indeed the ultimate idea behind the recording – the fact that the atmosphere of a church, its architecture, its space, and, above all, the powerful sound of the organ, transcends any belief system.
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The remainder of the album is comprised to considerably shorter pieces, soft ambient works are juxtaposed with more structured, dynamic compositions. All make optimal use of the natural reverb of the high-ceilinged church and build rich, textured atmospheres. Simple motifs, repeated, build tension while ghostly notes hover and soar above. The final track builds to a triumphant, surging finale in which the organ, played conventionally, dominates. The vast pipes resonate boldly, and with a magic beyond mere music, the notes coalesce to an uplifting, celebratory close.
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