Sharp Claws Cats (CD-R)
by Mathieu Werchowski & David Chiesa
Mathieu Werchowski is a violin and viola player whose work transcends the purely musical dimension, frequently collaborating with circus artists, dancers and performers, and, on occasion, psychiatric patients.
According to Martin Davidson of Emanem Records, "there is currently no shortage of fine improvising violinists, but Mathieu Werchowski shows himself to be one of the best".
David Chiesa started playing bass guitar in rock bands, and has been working in improvisation for more than ten years. A large part of his career has been spent collaborating with dancers, including leading figures of contemporary dance-performance such as Yukiko Nakamura and Valérie Metivier.
Recorded in two churches in France, "Sharp Claws Cats" makes full use of the majestic resonant spaces it was created in. Werchowski's violin and viola and Chiesa's double bass leave behind ghostly trails of overtones and harmonics (to the point of sounding electronic at times) as they intersect each other along wide fields of silence.
Tracklisting:
- Opening 3'16
- Neon#1 6'49
- Neon#2 6'42
- (Mer)lande 14'33
- mer(Land) 11'08
Recorded at Abbaye de Chancelade, Église Saint Léon Sur Vézére and Prieuré de Merlande, Dordogne, France.
- Mastering by Pierre Etchandy
- Thanks to Marc Pichelin
- Artwork by Manuel Majastre
Limited silkscreen copies!
Audio file
/media/uploads/audio_files/01_Track_01_.mp3
Press articles
Mathieu Werchowski & David Chiesa - "Sharp Claws Cats"
"Across five improvised tracks the duo bookend dark pools of silence with thin smears of light, the strings singing with glissing overtones and the kind of intimately focused dronework (...) Each movement has a subtle variation in tone and attack that makes the whole album feel precisely directed, from dense harmonics through cyclical minimalism and hypnotic raga-esque duets (...) A beautifully conceived set."
David Keenan (2007) The Wire
Mathieu Werchowski & David Chiesa - "Sharp Claws Cats"
"Mathieu Werchowski (violin and viola) and David Chiesa (double bass) offer a set of improvisations recorded in three different churches in Dordogne, France in January 2006. This is high quality string music, complex and detailed, which makes very good use of the acoustics of the recording sites. There are many improvisors who pay particular attention to sound and detail, but Werchowski and Chiesa are way ahead of the pack, away from pseudo-concepts, simply and majestically within the music and the sound."
Metamkine (2007) www.metamkine.com
Mathieu Werchowski & David Chiesa - "Sharp Claws Cats"
"Both musicians go on an adventurous trip, casting the web of their music as they go along, like a fisherman at sea would cast his nets. They create structures, shades and entities, exploring their contours and substance as if it were a process of nature. All in all, the music is astounding, powerful yet soaring, a ballet of bows that fills the listener with emotional and intellectual joy."
Pierre Hemptinne (2007) Oh! Que Ça Bouge!
