Grammy Coverage: It is exciting when established artists do something unexpected. On the Grammy nominated album Illumination, Peter Kater ventures deeper into New Age music territory than ever before. The result is four fantastic tracks, perfect for moments of healing and clarity – to quote two of the titles.
The difference between this album and Kater’s other works is mainly the format. Instead of shorter piano ballads, we here get long meditative pieces. The piano plays a vital role, but is far from alone on the stage. Both flute, violin, trumpet, saxophone, guitar, synth and various other instruments are here too. As in much meditative music, the melody has little structure and comes and goes, depending on the atmosphere. I think Kater has done a fantastic job in creating fascinating and refreshing soundscapes.
Beautiful, long tracks
The four tracks are named Blessing, Patience, Clarity and Healing. They are all between 11 and 15 minutes long. I like how each song has a great build-up. When a track is this long it needs a certain drive to be interesting all the way through. On the last two tracks there is like a storm of sounds, almost as an orchestra warning up, which makes the ending very memorable.
I think Kater has done a fantastic job in creating fascinating and refreshing soundscapes.
BT Fasmer
As you know, there is no shortage in meditation albums. For Mr Kater Illumination may have been a test to see if this format matches his artistic expression. As a fan I can only say that this is yet another superb album, and an interesting addition to a strong discography.
I would love to illuminate my day with more albums like this one.
Score: 92/100 – See how I rate music here.
Sample the album on iTunes.