Dreamcatcher (James McVinnie)
Rupert Gough
Monday, March 17, 2025
McVinnie’s reputation for bold, imaginative programming is borne out in this compilation alternating contemporary works for organ with some for piano

McVinnie’s reputation for bold, imaginative programming is borne out in this compilation alternating contemporary works for organ with some for piano. This thought-provoking world we enter at McVinnie’s hands leaves us full of imaginings as well as contemplating current issues; the title track by Marcos Balter is a piano piece in response to the child-separation crisis at the US-Mexico border. More familiar works like Giles Swayne’s Riff-raff and John Adam's China Gates sit alongside inventive and imaginative works by Nico Muhly, Meredith Monk and others. Across the whole disc, McVinnie displays remarkable rhymical dexterity and control, allowing us to enjoy trance-like luminosity from minimalistic textures.