On new EP The Circle Closes, composer Richard Green brings an instrumental flair to pop, jazz and rock
Richard Green has released his new EP The Circle Closes, a stirring collection of purely instrumental tracks that sees the Italian composer add a neoclassical flair to the sounds of jazz, pop and rock.
The EP is a collaboration with pianist Irene Veneziano and strings quartet Archimia, and together the group deliver a masterclass in sonic storytelling. The five-track project begins with the twinkling piano keys and regal strings of Wrinkles.
Passing by with the wistfulness of an afternoon daydream, the EP opener is described by Green as a reflection on the passage of time, and the tiredness and sadness that comes with it.
Imbuing the track with those themes, Wrinkles flits between instrumental peaks and near-silent valleys, all underpinned by Green’s attention to a blues-jazz vibe.
Transitioning towards more optimistic arrangements, second track A Place To Call Home feels like what might play in the cutesy moments of rom-com when the characters first meet.
Punchy piano sections and shimmering violins make A Place To Call Home the EP’s sweetest track, and one Green described as a reflection of the instinctual love that lives within us.
Green gives pop music his instrumental flair on A Legacy, the EP’s bounciest and catchiest offering. The strings dart with the fervour of a melodic pop hook, as carried by earwormy keys and the track’s overall light-footedness.
Later, on Your Angel, Green delivers the project’s most sombre arrangement — complete with brooding violins and a darker mid section that is his closest foray into rock — before Natural Circle fittingly closes out the EP.
The final track is a worthy culmination of Green’s efforts, tracing moments of shimmery resplendence while holding space for more sombre arrangements.
To evoke such feelings solely through instrumentation is no small feat, but Green has years of experience doing just that.
The Circle Closes is the second in a trio of EPs the composer has undertaken, with the first entry A Journey arriving in 2022.
Taken together, the collection of EPs — which will conclude with another project due out later this year — is Green’s attempt to take listeners on a journey through music.
Listen to Richard Green’s new EP The Circle Closes below.
