Just 21 years old at the time of this recording, this preternaturally gifted Aussie composer has unleashed a striking and assured debut that draws upon influences from somewhat “difficult” modern classicists such as George Crumb and Alfred Schnittke. Unexpectedly, however, Gardiner largely eschews the complexity and overt experimentation of his precursors in favor of pared-down elegance and melodic simplicity (albeit with some darkly dissonant harmonies).
Self-released
Onliving is a very brief (about 20 minutes) four-song suite, but it sounds vibrant and fully formed as such. There are only five musicians involved (aside from Gardiner himself, credited with the mysterious role of “electronics”) and the foundation is largely built upon a tensely repeating piano pattern that is very much indebted to minimalists such as Steve Reich and Arvo Pärt (not bombastic enough to allude to Glass). The four interlocking movements are all basically variations of the same spartan elements, but they cohere into a masterful tug-of-war between the sparse but insistent piano and the swirling and melancholy clarinet and flute central theme. The best parts of Onliving, however, are the sparingly used yet devastatingly effective strings: they alternate between mournful lyricism and violent churning that show that Gardiner learned a thing or two about passion from another of his major influences- Astor Piazzolla.
There is very little here to find fault with: Onliving is very brief and very simple, but it all works remarkably well. Also, while there is essentially only one true theme repeated again and again, it is quite beautiful and memorable and Gardiner dances around it expertly and teasingly. I suppose the sustain-blurred piano solo that makes up the entirety of the second movement, “The Loving Bells,” is a bit on the boring/filler side, but it is mercifully brief and segues nicely into “Running,” and fits thematically with everything that surrounds it. Also worth mentioning are William’s surprisingly restrained and unobtrusive electronic contributions: until I listened closely and critically, I couldn’t even tell that they were even there. Gradually, however, I came to realize that this album sounds immediate, alive, and remarkably dense given the skeletal ensemble involved, and that credit belongs largely to Gardiner’s behind-the-scenes processing and tweaking of reverbs, delays, and decays.
Naturally, I’d be very eager to hear a deeper, more ambitious, and larger-scale work, but this EP is certainly quite impressive on its own. I read that Gardiner has been listening to a lot of Animal Collective these days, which fleetingly filled me with trepidation about his future work, but Onliving provides ample evidence that William already has a coherent vision and a rare ability to incorporate outside influences seamlessly into it (much like his more established kindred spirit Jóhann Jóhannsson). Classical music needs more new blood like this.
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