What a joy to hear these sisters playing together! Cellist Rebecca Foon is well-known as an integral member of Thee Silver Mt. Zion and Esmerine, while violinist Aliayta Foon-Dancoes has won awards for her own work. Those who saw Esmerine live on their last tour may have had the distinct honor of watching the sisters share a stage, but this is their first recorded collaboration. In addition, each plays piano, which often makes Reverie sound like the work of a small orchestra. Obviously Esmerine fans will be ecstatic, but fans of Rachel’s will also find much to enjoy.
The cover provides an indication of the topic. In its quietest, most intimate moments, Reverie celebrates the beauty of nature, a reflection of the hours spent composing and recording at “Rebecca’s converted barn studio in the Laurentian mountains of Québec.” But in its darker, thicker parts, it is also a warning of climate change and the impact of humanity on what it proclaims to love. This infuses the album with tension and contrast, notable both between and within tracks. Musical themes are repeated throughout, especially in the bookends of “Eternal I” and “Eternal II.” While similar, the second is more restrained, pruned to its ivory essence, which one might interpret as loss.
“Incandescence” is a track of wonder, the violin expressive and swift, slow only in the middle. The word connotes light that is activated by heat, but also means passionate, full of strong emotion. For decades, Rebecca has been doing all she can as an environmental activist, the task never done, her commitment unwavering. “Phosphorescence” (light emitted without noticeable heat) is dense and nuanced, a thicket of sound that despite its brief length ascends some of the album’s highest peaks. Then the album heads into its sweet midsection, including the pensive “Drifters and Dreamers,” a track that serves as an ode to all who continue to fight the good fight, and “Surrounded by You,” which expands from chamber to swirling drone before collapsing back to its humble roots.
Beauty and depth continue to intertwine; there’s more hope here than dismay. This being said, the cello-dominant “Devotion” sounds like an elegy, while “Dream of What Was” shares its emotions in its title. A reverie is also a dream, and therein lies the rub; one may dream of what was at the same time as one dreams of what can be. As the climate continues to destabilize, the first may eventually overwhelm the other, a warning conveyed through these strings. These sister composers yearn to offer only hope, but wish more than anything to be truthful. (Richard Allen)