India Gailey & Leah Plave: ‘The Way Appears’

‘The Way Appears’ is a delightful concoction of new music from cello duo India Gailey and Leah Plave.

Composers took inspiration from the concept of emergence and The Way Appears marks a decade of Gailey and Plave’s collaborative relationship, including new works from Adam Vincent Clarke, Cris Derksen, Emily Kennedy, Leilehua Lanzilotti, Matthias McIntire, Kelly-Marie Murphy and Jeff Reilly.

Beginning with Emily Kennedy’s Triptych, the album allows the two cellos to perform equally, weaving their melodies around each other that is almost transcendental and improvisatory. Each of the compositions tells a different story and takes the instruments on a different journey of tone and approach. By the time we reach Kelly Marie Murphy’s The Way Appears, the two musicians are almost in attack mode, with a directness and momentum that is vivid and visceral.

These are two distinct cellists who nevertheless collaborate on these exciting new compositions that show their instrument at its most expressive. The concluding track - Cris Derkson’s The Bee and Her Wildflower - takes us close to nature and the two cellos weave their lines in a dance that mimics the insect bobbing around the bouncing head of the flower. The final moments bring us all to rest and perhaps that is truly the appearance of the way.

Each of these new compositions tell a different story and take us in a different musical direction and we hear the cello played by two virtuosos in perfect collaboration.

India Gailey and Leah Plave’s ‘The Way Appears’ is out on 30 October on Redshift Records