By
Lynn Tredeau
Written by
Steve Sheppard
In the middle of winter we are gifted a very important time,
we have a few days to relax, unwind, reflect on the year gone by, and if we are
fortunate enough to have them, we may be able to spend precious moments with
family and friends at a time of year called Christmas. The energies of those
days past are filled usually with fun, laughter and love, and of course
memorable music that will travel with us over our lifetime, as will those ever
enduring memories. Here on this latest album Lynn Tredeau expresses her love for this time of year, through her
latest release called The Ever Lasting
Light.
The opening piece is a classic and entitled O Tannenbaum; I am going to start with
the praise early here, as this I do believe is one of the most delightful
representations of this composition I have ever heard, Tredeau plays with a
softness and deftness of touch that is so heart-warming to listen to.
This leads us nicely to our next offering called Away in a Manger; here lies a melody we
will know only too well from our childhood, the almost lullaby style here on
piano is like watching each twinkling of a star opening to caress a winter
skyline, however if you listen deeply you may pick out a few reflective nuances
within this very clever rendition.
We Wish You a Merry
Christmas is our
next present to open, here the pianist will emphasize an arrangement that can
be sometimes looked over on the standard Christmas music album. Her soothing
performance illustrates just what a beautiful arrangement this creation is.
O Little Town of
Bethlehem is now
upon us, but be careful how you remove the packaging, as this in my view is one
of the most delicate manifestations of this well-known religious offering of
all time, listen if you will to the piano heaven created within this
arrangement, it is fluently masterful.
Pines Dressed in Winter has to be one of the most musically
fragrant and most pleasing winter manifestations I have heard through the medium
of piano for simply years. Tredeau’s magical performance is sublime, if ever a
piece took you to the snow-capped forests of a late December afternoon, this is
most certainly the one, and in my view one of my favourites from the album.
We move now to the half way marker of the album and as we do
so we come across a very familiar piece indeed, and one I personally remember
from opening the door to carol singers, and of course called The First Noel. This for me is a prime
example of Tredeau bringing memory, reflection and echoes of a happy past into
the proceedings.
We can now see the lights of a Christmas tree through the
cabin window as we draw nearer, and perhaps we can even hear those same carol
singers expressing the tones of another well-known historical piece called God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen. This one
made me stop and listen repeatedly, there was a sumptuous reflective energy
about it, the emotive textures were strong; once more I have to say, this is
probably one of the finest versions I have heard from the piano genre.
One of the many things I like about the album, is the
willingness of the artist to explore the Christmas narrative, which she does
perfectly on this next piece called Toyland;
here she has captured that sense of mystery and imagination with such style and
tenderness, one can almost see a child opening its eyes as they dream of a
world of magical toys, ah but for those days of such sweet innocence.
With a gentle stroke of the hands upon the keys, we move into
the deep snow drifts of the album with this next offering entitled Christmas Paper. Here is another fine
example of memory and the past coalescing; Tredeau’s performance is as if she
is wrapping up the last few presents for the big day. The presentation is
palpable and building into a semi crescendo of excitement, this is one much
crafted performance indeed by the artist.
O Come, O Come,
Emmanuel has to be
one of the most original arrangements I have heard with regard to this classic
Christmas song, there was also a depth within this composition that was not
only very compelling, but deeply moving as well.
We find ourselves now at the penultimate doorway of our
musical advent calendar, and as such out next gift is a bright and most
pleasant version of Silver Bells
from the pianist, this is the albums feel good composition and will no doubt be
one of those tracks that will drift around many winter households in the snowy
weeks ahead.
So it’s finally Christmas day and we can open our last gift
from the musician and it is, Joy to the
World. Always finish with a classic and leave the listeners fulfilled from
the journey taken, in selecting a powerful and uplifting piece like this to end
with that makes Lynn not only one of the best female pianists of her day, but
also one of the most intelligent, a sublime conclusion to a fine album indeed.
The Everlasting Light by Lynn Tredeau was for me a very pleasant musical experience, as the
years have rolled on new Christmas albums have become somewhat of a rarity, but
here is most certainly one that should be taken seriously, for one thing it
shows the growth and skill set of the pianist, for another it shows the talent
of the artist to manifest her thoughts on this time of year, and allow us
humble listeners, to walk the Christmas hall ways of her seasonal memory palace
with her.
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