At Lincoln Cathedral [live]

by Thom JurekThis double-disc set features contemporary composer Roger Eno, playing solo piano late at night in England's famous London Cathedral without an audience. These 23 pieces range form just over three minutes to just over eight, and rely as much on the acoustics of the venue as the compositions themselves for their ambience and subtle colors and shades. Touching on classical, jazz, and new age in his playing, Eno weaves a spellbinding set of tunes that inspire and elucidate silence itself. The atmosphere is serene, but far from uninteresting. These are emotive pieces, full of grace and quiet, restrained elegance. And each piece seems to dovetail into the next, establishing not only mood but setting -- a landscape, though it may very well be one of interior design. This is an utterly beautiful and haunting work. It makes for fine background and instilling quiet, but ultimately it is a recording for the purpose of deep listening.