Here We Are

Before The Hermes Experiment came along, no one had written music for their unusual instrumentation of soprano, clarinet, harp and double bass. So every note they play is new—commissioned or arranged. The 10 works here are compelling—buzzing with invention and shimmering with colour—from Joel Rust’s dystopian “Pack of Orders” to Freya Waley-Cohen’s anguished portrait of dying passion, We Phoenician Sailors. There’s room for wit, in the hypnotic unwinding of Oliver Leith’s “Uh Huh, Yeah”, while Misha Mullov-Abbado’s “The Linden Tree” joyfully blends jazz and English folk song. But for a taste of the group’s sheer playful abandon, head for Giles Swayne’s irrepressible Chansons dévotes et poissonneuses complete with music-loving fish relaxing to the sounds of an underwater casino piano.