Part ambient, part classical, part opera - and ALL breathtaking: that's the only way to describe Stuart Diamond's latest release Konzerto/Succubus. Consisting of two multi-movement pieces - the first called "Konzerto", and the second "Succubus" - this release grabs hold of your soul from the first ominous sounds of electronic percussion to the final fadeout. Stuart Diamond, composer and programmer, has managed to create with his electronic symphony two pieces of music that evoke the same sort of emotions as do acoustically played classical arrangements. Even without the wonderful violin talents of Karen Bentley and the soprano of Kerry Walsh, Diamond would have a fantastic ambient/classical release. But being the good composer that he is, Diamond realized that those touches would elevate his music to a higher lever, and that is exactly what Bentley and Walsh do.
The first composition on the CD, the 4 movement "Konzerto," is a lush arrangement of otherworldly sounding electronica with a nice range of sounds and very moving chord progressions topped off by the absolutely stunning violin playing of Karen Bentley. Bentley's traditional violin sounds very much at home with Diamond's electronic symphony, the voice of her strings interplaying expertly with the "wired" foundation that she is given.
