The album title is a quotation from Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet, which includes the phrase “what steps forth, in holiday clothing, out of the great darkness.” Cellist Clarice Jensen regards the image as a metaphor for the creative process, which often begins in isolation before its public unveiling.
The title track is separated into two parts, a trio of other tracks in-between. One can hear an obvious appreciation for Bach, although the compositional process is vastly different; the cello lines are played, layered and looped to create the illusion of a small ensemble. After a melodic base is established, the counter-melodies begin to develop, growing ever more assured. If a track could be recorded behind closed doors, and then don physical clothing and descend a vast staircase like a debutante, this would be it. The first part includes the tentative approach, the self-doubt, the stop-and-start known to artists of every field. Uninterrupted for thirteen minutes, the piece drenches the listener in wistful yearning, emerging from darkness, while not quite entering the light. This is saved for the second part, which begins with solo cello before blossoming into a multi-faceted and much faster piece, collecting sunlight as it expands, ending in only half the time. How bright is this holiday clothing!
“2,1” and “1,2” are not mirror images, but puzzle pieces, sharing a soft electronic pulse that in the first is enhanced with expressive cello and in the second becomes the track’s defining feature. In this reversal of expectation, the quiet becomes loud and the loud quiet, emphasizing the power of the softer spectrum. In similar fashion, “From A to B” highlights the contrast between solo and ensemble (although it’s all Jensen). “Unity” closes the set, suggesting that contrasts have become complementary. The artist may wish to emerge from the great darkness, but not to escape it, and embraces the fact that the darkness, the chrysalis of creativity, still remains. (Richard Allen)