Jacques Bailhé’s latest released composition is a wordless contemplation upon the direction of the American populace toward gun ownership. A tricky subject matter that will be hard to swallow for some. But the message, ultimately, couldn’t be further removed from the act of owning weapons, instead, it is about a mother’s tears as her child’s life gets cut short, intentionally or not, as a consequence of this policy.
The Los Angeles-based composer of contemporary classical music is following his last year jazz orchestra album, titled ‘Shiva is Flagrante’, with this new, 12-minute-long composition for two pianos and two cellos. ‘A Mother’s Tears’ is dynamic, eloquent, and thought-provoking. The motifs speak of danger intertwined with hope. With pockets of optimistic light, others of desolate desperation, and many more in between, the number of sensations that get evoked by the piano’s delicate and challenging motions, and the cello’s well-written accompanying are too many to count. What’s easy to grasp is the piece’s continuous ascent in momentum and gravity, with the lines getting more urgent as the piece progresses, from a relatively gentle, and decidedly melancholic introductory act, all the way to a hectic and awe-inspiring crescendo that suddenly gives way to a fade in dynamics, then to the silence that follows the piece’s striking conclusion.
A Mother’s Tears is a thought-provoking, challenging, and exhilarating composition from a composer with taste and merit. The message is universal, and the execution is stirring. Give this latest composition an earful listen.