HONEYLAND
HONEYLAND
Aidan Andrew Dun composer
Lucie Rejchrtová piano
Poet and musician Aidan Andrew Dun offers extremely unique works of spoken word poetry recitation, with keyboard accompaniment, in his Ravello Records release HONEYLAND. The album’s offerings can be seen to have roots in a number of Western musical and literary practices. Dun’s geographically specific epic poetry recalls the writings of James Joyce, and his interest in reciting poems to music suggests the influence of English poet and painter William Blake.
Dun’s rhythmic delivery (particularly in Ball) and the characteristics of the musical performances, seem to indicate the influence of the jazz poetry tradition. When taken as intimate musical, and not literary works, the album’s tracks can be seen as an extremely distinct example of melodrama, a tradition of works featuring narrated poetry and musical accompaniment dating back to Schubert.
Lucie Rejchrtová’s keyboard accompaniments serve as a foundation for Dun’s recitations. In Vale Royal and Black Passing, the piano tends to establish a repetitive rhythmic framework.
Rejchrtová is also very imaginative and thoughtful in her use of electronic effects beyond the basic piano sound of her keyboard. Across the album, these effects range from atmospheric uses of reverb and delay, as in To A Dancer, to dramatic instrumental sounds, including guitars, various synthesizers, and percussion instruments, as in Invitation to GQ and Her Feet as Two White Swans.