Dustin O Halloran - Vorlerben [Sonic Pieces - 2010]Dustin O’Halloran is a Los Angeles born composer & pianist who now resides in Berlin & ‘Vorleben’ is a new collection of emotionally rich, harmonic and at times quite complex solo piano pieces that were recorded live in Berlin’s Grunewald church.
‘Vorleben’ offers up ten tracks in all with each falling around the two to four minute a piece. Each track finds O’Halloran introducing one or two emotional & harmonic themes which he investigates over the tracks running time in an elegant, effortless & pretty yet often quite forlorn manner. Each tracks pace varies from rapid yet dramatic, to wondering & impassioned, down to slow, rich and hurt. His playing style falls between being popular and romantic, to dramatic and considered- yet the pieces never become too forced or contrived with O’Halloran balancing nicely between emotional depth, harmonic structure, composition skill & wonderfully played execution.
So if you enjoy well played, emotionally rich & harmonically pronounced solo piano work ‘Vorleben’ is well worth your time. It’s an album that at first charms you with it’s harmonic & felt emotion, then over repeated plays sucks you in with it’s ornate, at times complex & effortless playing.    Roger Batty
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