progvisions  review

intro

Csaba Vedres was the leader/pianist/composer and co-founder of the Hungarian group After Crying and recorded the first three studio albums with them (“Megalázottak és megszomorítottak” - 1992, “Overground music” – 1993 and “Föld és ég” - 1994). If you listen to those albums you will find his spirit shinning thru the compositions. After leaving the band he recorded the wonderful album “Nagyvárosi ikonok” (1997) under the name Townscream. After this album he released several wonderful piano orientated solo albums. In the year 2004 he founded the group Kairosz, a group consisting of a string quartet and keyboards. Kairosz has released two CD’s so far. He also serve as an organist of the local Peter-Paul church of Szentendre, Hungary. He composed a Requiem and two masses for liturgical use and has composed incidental music for more than 40 theatre plays.

In 2004 I wrote the following about Vedres Csaba’s music in the review of his “Fohász/Breathed prayer” album; Vedres music is romantic, brilliant and overflowing with intense beauty, for me the compositions of Vedres stand for craftsmanship, sensitivity and immense beauty. “Csend Zenek/Notes from Silence - Ephata II” is the latest solo release of Csaba Vedres which was released in the year 2009 by the Hungarian label Periferic Records.

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line-up

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review

The following quotes explain the concept of this wonderful album.

“When you are not running away from the first look of Silence, instead you just sit down opposite your visitor and wait for what He has to say, then sooner or later – like if by an invisible sign – uncommon things will show up from the corners, and unless you scare them away by screaming they will tamely begin to talk ...”
Tamás Görgényi

“Silence may be both deaf and dumb. But there is silence behind which someone gently waits and hides. If you reach it, grief shall be transformed into sorrow, aggressiveness into impulsion, anger into forgiveness which reflect importance beyond this world. Shapeless chaos into certain form of expression, chaotic thoughts into order, offence and hurtfulness into emotional strength and all these together: into music. I put together the music pieces born in such progress for this album.”
Csaba Vedres

Csaba Vedres about his music:
“My main musical aim is to compose pieces that are modern and up to classical standards yet accessible. I don't believe in the coldness and inhuman nature of the so-called modern music. In my opinion, during the history of music the ’high music’ that was over-sophisticated by the musical establishment has gained renewed influence again from initiatives coming from popular music. I consider rock music as being such a possibility in our age. I think that everlasting values can be created by combining the energetic rhythms of rock and the beautiful traditions of classical music.”

On this album you can find the following tracks;

“Szent Márton imája - The Prayer of St.Martin” (6:58), “Számadás a tálentumról - Account of the Talent” (6:25), “Micsoda csend - What a Still” (2:30), “Álom - Dream” (1:52), “Leltár - Inventory” (4:30), “Merre az út? - What’s the Way?” (1:40), “Körmenet korállal - Procession with Choral” (3:24), “Ómagyar Mária-siralom - Old-Hungarian Funeral-Song of the Virgin Mary” (5:40), “Misericordia” (4:57), “Korál - Choral” (3:03), “A tó - The Lake” (1:51), “Szeretethimnusz - Lovehymn” (1:46), “Eső - Rain” (1:41), “Áldott idő - Blessed Time” (3:07), “Noktürn 2009 - Nocturne 2009” (2:17), “Consolatio” (8:44)

The album has a serene and spiritual character. And it’s like the music is touched by the hand of God. In the first track “The Prayer of St.Martin” Csaba Vedres’s wife Júlia Guermán, who is also a member of the Kairosz Quartet, plays a breathtaking solo on the violin. A composition of high sensitivity and immense beauty. In the solo “Account of the Talent” you hear for the first time the delicate piano playing of Csaba Vedres. “What a Still” is a short classical piece with beautiful keyboard strings. It is followed by the romantic and delicate piano piece “Dream”. In “Inventory” we hear the voices of the Bárdos Choir from Pécs. In this piece you hear the influences of church music and the composer Arvo Pärt. “What’s the Way?” is a short piece with delicate piano and vocal lines. In “Procession with Choral” I think that I hear some known melodies. “Ómagyar Mária-siralom” is an Old-Hungarian Funeral-Song of the Virgin Mary sung by Júlia Guermán. The slow and delicate vocal melodies in “Misericordia” are beautifully sung by Csaba Vedres who is accompanied by the flute of Kristóf Fogolyán. The instrumentation on this piece is sober, piano and flute. In “Choral” the minimal piano is accompanied by the beautiful strings of the Kairosz Quartet. “The Lake” has some wonderful vocal melodies. The piano instrumentation is minimal. In “Lovehymn” we hear the MMIK Erkel Choir and the beautiful voice of Júlia Guermán. The short composition “Rain” is sung by Csaba Vedres himself. In “Blessed Time” we hear again a delicate contribution of the Kairosz Quartet. “Nocturne 2009” is a piece that you could expect on an After Crying album. Sometimes I miss his contributions in the work of After Crying. The classical influences of that band are more shifted towards a more progressive rock side. “Consolatio” is the longest (8:44) piece of this album. This piece of music is influenced by classical and church music. There are contributions of the Bárdos Choir, beautiful violin solo’s of Júlia Guermán and the church (pipe)organ is played by Csaba Vedres. This is my favorite piece of the album because all the influences are coming together in this composition.

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conclusion

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