Picture Palace music – Somnambulistic tunes

1 review for Picture Palace music – Somnambulistic tunes

1. 

   Sylvain Lupari / Guts Of Darkness – 2022-11-22

   Picture Palace Music is the new musical project of Thorsten Quaeschning, the new companion of Edgar Froese in Tangerine Dream. The basic idea of this scheme is to pay a sound homage to silent films, completely silent ones, defying sound perceptions of the time with the interpretations of today.
   An ambitious and interesting project which starts in a beautiful way with Somnambulistic Tunes, witch is inspired by Das Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, of Robert Wiene. This pioneer film of the German expressionism cinema was release in 1919 and tells the story of a mysterious travelling acrobat who makes commit crimes by a sleepwalker. The spirit of this picture is describe as dark and very nightmarish. On this level, the work of Picture Palace Music does not reach such a paroxysm. On the other hand Thorsten Quaeschning astonishes by delivering a very atmospheric opus where the drama is finely present on superb orchestral arrangements.

   Overture bursts on an alive and vibrating tonality. A more dramatic structure settles with percussions with symphonic thunders and a harmonious elegy which progresses on a dense philharmonic structure to loud and slipping cello, violin layers, which concludes on disparate percussions.
   Little town of Holstenwall follows on a rather similar rhythm structure where a bass and hopping sequence oscillates on an atmospheric guitar which floats in a light and incongruent universe. Already we seize the control of Quaeschning. It swivels from a structure to another, remainder in conformity with its visions.
   Annual fair has a more rock steady tempo which harmonize on Victorian and Angelus singing. A rather heavy movement, stuff of superb throbbing choruses.
   Contrasts link brilliantly, while infiltrating a rich orchestral mood on the superb title track and Streets of Holstenwall. Gradually Thorsten Quaeschning imposes his vision, which takes shape with address in styles diversity and an overflowing scriptural imagination.
   Night, Night, Night and Help, murder, help are 2 superb parts which dive in dark spheres, but tinted of a neurotic luminosity, as the choirs that revolve there. By far, this is the very strong moments of Somnambulistic Tunes
   After this section, we go through a more balance universe with much more atmosphere. Less rhythmic Somnambulistic Tunes ravels its introspection on slow and heavy moves of Funfair 1919, with its percussions that plough a penetrating atmosphere.
   Environment is darker with strange linear pulsations which intermingle to short heterogeneous harmonies where a beautiful sax illuminates the moon on The funural night.
   Slow ambiances are waked up by an approach of lugubrious and alive percussions of On the Run, when as eases of burials of Celebrating fears Part II, are of a striking surrealism and take us again in the dark atmospheric mood of Somnambulistic Tunes.
   Comes then Invastigation and its very beautiful charming piano, which monopolizes all the attention. The tone is light, almost atonic, but of an undeniable mythical beauty. In my opinion, it is the only title which allows an association Thorsten Quaeschning and Tangerine Dream.
   The album encloses on 2 other beautiful tracks with dense and harmonious symphonic incantations, taking again melodious bits which we find around the opus, as the very beautiful Night, night, night.

   I was very astonished by the quality of Somnambulistic Tunes. It is a work conceived with tact worthy of renown artists. It is obvious that Thorsten Quaeschning is very talented and has a very visual direction of writing. Eyes close, we palpate the insane and neurosis glances of these actors of the silent ages which had from their faces what the voice did not give.
   Here, Picture Palace Music gives to faces the missing colors and to the film a sound dimension with the heavy, dark orchestrations and of a romantic neurotic.
   A great surprise

   2007. Sylvain Lupari / Guts Of Darkness