Frances White, In the Library of Dreams

Frances White is not only a dreamer, she is a librarian of her dreams. That is metaphoric, but no less a fact for all that, at least in her album of poetic compositions In the Library of Dreams (Pogus 21064-2). There are six separate works on this disk, each one quite evocative in mood and color. There is a solo shakuhachi piece to begin, a marvelous chamber work performed by Eighth Blackbird, and various works for electro-acoustics and small chamber ensembles.

There is nothing formulaic about the music. It is understandably soft-focus, dreamy, tonal and vividly painted in a new pomo sort of way, Frances White's way. The electro-acoustic works are filled with natural environmental sounds and musically atmospheric colors. A dreamed forest, lovely violin work, clouds of ethereal suspensions, a poetic historical-myth narrative.

Frances White has created for our reveries a tapestry of very beautiful music. It is not quite like anything else. You can live within it very comfortably, yet there is nothing of the new age here. More like an older age long forgotten, existing in our collective nighttime sleep stories. Rather wondrous! Very recommended.