Although Austrian composer and organist Klaus Lang is now into his fifties, the chances are that many listeners will be most familiar with him from his three releases (of nineteen to date) on Another Timbre, Tehran Dust following 2019's Beissel and 2020's Unfurling. Doubtless, those familiar with contemporary Austrian music will be asking, "What about Lang's album with Polwechsel?" referring to Unseen (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut, Ltd., 2020) which was credited to Polwechsel & Klaus Lang. In context, that album is pertinent as Tehran Dust features Lang on organ along with Trio Amos which comprises Sylvie Lacroix on flute, Krassimir Sterev on accordion, and Polwechsel founding member Michael Moser on cello.
The partnership of Trio Amos with Lang dates back to 2011 when he wrote this album's opening track, "Origami" for the trio; he also wrote its closing track, "Darkness and Freedom", for them in 2017. The album's third Lang composition, the title piece, dates back to 2013 and features cello and accordion rather than the full trio. These three Lang compositions, totalling fifty-four minutes, eloquently demonstrate some of the composer's particular strengths — his ability to blend instrumental sounds so that they combine perfectly and sound natural together, and his calm, undramatic soundscapes which make relaxing listening without ever becoming soporific.
The album's remaining two tracks are the only ones to feature Lang and Trio Amos together; they are the album's shortest tracks — seven-and-a-half minutes altogether — each being a Renaissance work, "Kyrie (missa prolatium)" by Johannes Ockeghem and "Agnus Dei (from Glareanus: dodecacordon)" by Pierre de la Rue. Exquisitely played by all four players, the two are immediately recognisable as Renaissance music and provide a refreshing contrast to the extended Lang compositions surrounding them. Altogether, the album has been carefully constructed to showcase each piece to best advantage and to combine them into a very satisfying whole.
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