This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Francais (French)
-
Self-published5
Moongate
Victor Anastacio, guitar; Philippe Charbonneau, bass; Colleen Leslie, flute
Self-published, 2023
Moongate, the debut album by composer and acoustic guitarist Victor Anastacio, is a hidden gem.
The work sounds deceptively simple at first. The titular Moongate, as well as Amethyst Sky and Northern Lights, are easy to digest: light and peaceful, with an emphasis on the play between Leslie’s disjunct flute melodies and Anastacio’s fingerpicking. Gathering Wind’s more staccato performance breathes energy into the album before the deep, slow notes of Charbonneau’s bass rein in the two treble instruments for a few compositions, creating a more melancholic experience.
The songs don’t deviate much in terms of intensity, but this works in Anastacio’s favour. The album is serene and gentle, and slowly eases the listener into a fantastical aural landscape. Anastacio keeps pieces distinct enough to be individually memorable, largely by creating a careful balance between the three instruments: the bass and flute fall silent interchangeably, which allows him to highlight his tonal flexibility, or show off his great solo capabilities, as is the case in Watercourse. This adds layers of complexity to the album, and makes it warrant revisiting many times over.
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Francais (French)
