Renan Javier – Lovers & Madmen [Music Review]

Renan Javier sculpts a powerful, emotionally wrought world with the stark beauty of “Lovers & Madmen”. Quite stunning, Renan Javier utilizes a few key instruments placing them perfectly throughout the entirety of the piece. The miniature symphony that unfolds feels positively timeless, drawing both from classical music’s rich tradition as well as modern classical music’s emphasis on dialogue. Attention to detail means that every single gesture radiates with every moment revealing such deft skill and care. Elements of the piece recall some of Rachel’s fantastic work within the classical realm, alongside the gorgeous soundtrack work of Max Richter’s output.

Nicely starting things off is the elegant piano work. From there the violin starts off quite intensely. Rhythms have a natural, almost pastoral quality to them growing ever more potent in scope. Things are kept to the essentials for Renan Javier ensures that the instruments have more than enough room to breathe. Indeed, his treatment of the track reveals a tremendous ear for melody and the song teems with life as a result. Over the course of the piece Renan Javier allows the track’s initial intensity to simply melt away as the two instruments (the piano and the violin) comes to an agreement of sorts. For the final stretch the resolution comes into focus as the earlier drama of the piece drifts away.

On “Lovers & Madmen” Renan Javier creates a fiery, passionate piece one whose gorgeous melody lingers in the mind akin to a half-forgotten dream.