Wild Geese (in accordance with the poem by Mary Oliver)
Leaving Home
Soul Poem
Night on Water
Presence
Dancing at the Gate is a refreshing restorative -- an hour's retreat from the sharp edges of life. It's solo piano, and "contemplative" fits it like a glove. It is gentle, and Cunningham works in small melodic fragments,... more » frequently repeated and developed in small changes of key and dynamic, but aimless it is most definitely not. We don't really have a word for this kind of music... The pieces feel loose and improvisational, but they are hung on a framework that is remarkably firm. This, I suspect is why they remind me so much of Debussy's Images. However, despite the fact that there is a structure here -- and even momentum, of a sort -- impatient listeners will find these songs as frustrating as trying to pick up mercury with a spoon. They shimmer like light reflected off water onto a wall. They stop, blink out, resume without moving and then trail off when the light -- I mean Ms. Cunningham's muse -- moves on. Keith Jarrett's massive improvisations do come to mind here, but there's a somewhat eastern feel to Ms. Cunningham's compositions -- their circular progression and intense artlessness... I find contemplation of these pieces an almost guaranteed doorway to an inner peace. That may not be your idea of what music is all about, and if it is not, I suppose the fault is mine, for I am surely describing clumsily something that is, in fact, quite graceful and, yes, quite lovely. And, while it neither plumbs the passions of a Beethoven sonata nor storms the heights of a late Schubert piano piece, Dancing at the Gate succeeds on its own terms. It is quiet music that encourages quiet contemplation. And that, these days, is priceless.« less
Dancing at the Gate is a refreshing restorative -- an hour's retreat from the sharp edges of life. It's solo piano, and "contemplative" fits it like a glove. It is gentle, and Cunningham works in small melodic fragments, frequently repeated and developed in small changes of key and dynamic, but aimless it is most definitely not. We don't really have a word for this kind of music... The pieces feel loose and improvisational, but they are hung on a framework that is remarkably firm. This, I suspect is why they remind me so much of Debussy's Images. However, despite the fact that there is a structure here -- and even momentum, of a sort -- impatient listeners will find these songs as frustrating as trying to pick up mercury with a spoon. They shimmer like light reflected off water onto a wall. They stop, blink out, resume without moving and then trail off when the light -- I mean Ms. Cunningham's muse -- moves on. Keith Jarrett's massive improvisations do come to mind here, but there's a somewhat eastern feel to Ms. Cunningham's compositions -- their circular progression and intense artlessness... I find contemplation of these pieces an almost guaranteed doorway to an inner peace. That may not be your idea of what music is all about, and if it is not, I suppose the fault is mine, for I am surely describing clumsily something that is, in fact, quite graceful and, yes, quite lovely. And, while it neither plumbs the passions of a Beethoven sonata nor storms the heights of a late Schubert piano piece, Dancing at the Gate succeeds on its own terms. It is quiet music that encourages quiet contemplation. And that, these days, is priceless.
Susan J. Dunham | Framingham, MA United States | 10/24/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Dana's music is moving, contemplative, and masterfully composed! There are times when the chords and melodies seem to resonate in my chest, and definitely help me achieve a more relaxed state - her music helps me put aside the day-to-day thoughts and concerns, which is wonderful."
Absolutely Beautiful
Carrie | Plano, TX | 08/16/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album is incredibly relaxing... wonderful contemplative music that moves the soul to a place of rest and thoughtfulness. I highly recommend this CD for the artistic person, the spiritual person, or simply the person looking for a place of rest in this world. It is wonderfully both inspiring AND relaxing."