A Rift in the Horizon’s Wall features Paris based composer and current INA-GRM director François Bonnet (as Kassel Jaeger) creating a single work (split across two sides of vinyl) within in a very specific, contextual framework. Recorded at Epsilon Spires, a former Baptist church turned cultural space/venue in Brattleboro, Vermont, and using the church’s 1903 pipe organ as the foundational instrument, Bonnet adds other instrumentation in addition to utilizing the natural acoustics of the space in which it was recorded. The final product is a sweeping, heavily varied piece that conveys the history from which it was created, and also Bonnet’s compositional touch in a colossal, expansive work.
His use of the historic pipe organ as the fundamental point in which ARITHW is mostly built upon evident from the onset of the album, via a droning tone that sprawls out immediately. The overall sound is weighty, shifting into extremely dense low frequency passages with hushed, additional sounds subtly woven in. His use of space is not only part of the recording process, but in composition as well, as he opens the mix up frequently to shift the focus to expansive, understated layers of sound. At times the mix becomes intentionally murky and captures a full spectrum of sound, but the sound of a massive pipe organ is mostly obvious throughout, albeit with occasional, subtle treatments.
The second side is not with the organ, but the deep resonance of a piano with glistening, pinging notes that are soon projected into greater space. Soon, Bonnet is blending in some knocking and bass heavy pulsations that become the focus, but do not distract from the overall understated nature of the piece. Resonating metallic noises are brought in but the low frequency register of sound does not upset the overall gentle construction. The overt, sustained organ appears again, looming but seasoned with far off subtle loops that meld together beautifully. The abrupt ending to the piece is rather jarring given that the sustained sound of the organ was so prevalent for most of the previous 40 or so minutes.
Bonnet’s use of the pipe organ is a foundation upon which he constructs a multitude of additional tones and textures. Even though many of the sounds are not clearly identifiable, he does an amazing job at placing them in a spacious context that is captured in exquisite detail, with a distinct sense of structure. At times gargantuan, at times extremely understated, the blending of sounds is accomplished beautifully, and the sense of space he conjures with only two channels makes it all the more fascinating.
