Nightlight

With a degree in theology from Cambridge, it’s no surprise that pianist Cordelia Williams is drawn to music that engages with religion and faith. Nightlight, if not directly about faith, certainly probes our deeper convictions and fears in uncertain times, with music that explores darkness—both literal and abstract—and seeks out hope. Beautifully programmed, the collection finds Williams guiding us through the night’s darkness, from Mozart’s Piano Fantasia, which evokes the brink of sleep, to Scriabin’s turbulent Piano Sonata No. 2 and Schumann’s strange, late Gesänge der Frühe, with some glorious juxtapositions along the way (see Thomas Tomkins sitting beside Bill Evans, for example). A brilliant album.