Pianist Yelena Eckemoff was inspired by individual movements from the Psalms for the eleven tracks on the double CD. If this were not mentioned in the booklet, this background would not be apparent from the sounds. Far away from sacred clichés, the music moves in the area of modern, largely composed jazz and shows a closeness to classical music. Thus, the interpretations created in 2016 and 2020 seem like hermaphrodites of chamber music and jazz, especially since distinguished soloists such as the trumpeter Ralph Alessi or the guitarists Ben Monder and Adam Rogers tend to follow a given musical text rather than improvise with the freedom of jazz. This approach then leads to intense ensemble passages.

Original German:

Werner Stiefele for Audio magazine