Spanning the better part of a decade, the collaborations of Sarah Slean, Christos Hatzis, and Symphony Nova Scotia have just been released together. The announcement of Lamento & Ecstasy‘s release is sure to excite any orchestra fans who have been missing that musical experience, but it may excite the uninitiated as well. This immaculately captured, genre-defying work is hard not to get caught up in.
Lamento & Ecstasy consists of two three-song movements, the former composed by Hatzis and the latter with music by Hatzis and words by Slean- both performed with Symphony Nova Scotia. The companion compositions are both intriguing journeys, musically and intellectually. “Lamento”, first premiered in 2012 by CBC, tackles loss and mental health issues, while “Ecstasy” “explores the more luminous regions of the human mind in both its intellectual and mystical expressions.”
From the very start of Lamento, the stakes are palpable through primal, thundering and resonant percussion, that quickly builds to a full and blaring orchestra. Cinematic and with all the smoulder of a Bond intro, Slean’s vocals cut in and take center stage. There is gravitas created by the sensuality and longing of the lyrics surrounded by such intense instrumentation that creates a blazingly beautiful dichotomy.
Lamento takes a sharp turn with the triumphant light of “My Song”, and yet again in the pendulous despondency of “Despair”. The three pieces in order do not necessarily flow perfectly, but they do illustrate a strange journey of desire, hope, and hopelessness. Where “My Song” rises, “Despair” descends- a clear and effective interpretation of the movement’s namesake the lamento bass, “a stepwise descending bass line used by composers of the Baroque era to express despondency.” A longing passion burns, shoots gloriously into the sky, only to take endless steps down into the dark.
Ecstasy serves as the “dramatic musical antidote to Lamento“, and while sonically it feels more cohesive across its movements, it is a cohesion of unpredictable chaos. As it explores the lighter sides of the mind and spirit, the unflappable lyrics of hope in Slean’s confident voice are assailed by the ever-changing soundscapes of the orchestra. Cerebral in concept, content, and execution, Ecstasy is not the easiest listen, but an endlessly rewarding one. Moments of quiet allow Slean’s vocals to take the spotlight and amplify the presence of Hatzis’ compositional voice on their return.
The two are brilliant collaborators. Near Disney-like phrases of idealistic beauty are elicited by Slean amongst cacophony and neighbour bluntly dark phrases with gentle accompaniment. The tone of this gorgeous ambivalence can be summed up in the first song of Ecstasy, “Love”:
“The beauty and the violence.
The wonder and the shame.”
Lamento & Ecstasy is a musical journey of epic proportions. With the driving momentum and emotions of Sondheim, the dark oddities of Darcy James Argue’s noir-jazz, and the eclectic grandeur of Ennio Morricone, Hatzis and Slean’s creation has a timeless feel that cements it as unique. With its enticing language, objectively beautiful sound, dramatic excitement, and experimental flare, Lamento & Ecstasy is a musical experience not to be missed.
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