Search - Harold G Moses, Harold Moses :: Prayers of the Soul

These passionately luminescent musical meditations for solo instruments-mostly improvised in a state of ecstatic communication with the Divine-are beautifully melodic, radiating with earnest sincerity and devotion. Rather than adopting the classic introverted pose of prayer, composer Moses depicts prayer as a continuing conversation "sometimes fervent, sometimes relaxed" and uses his viola to signify the heartfelt emotions that words so often fail to express. Haunting in the extreme, these intense communications reach their zenith on "Nocturne" an unforgettable piano piece written by Moses but performed by his mother, a music teacher, on an awesomely resonant 1895 Steinway grand. Equally impressive is his duet with wife Laura playing the tamboura (this instrument's delicate drone is a musical metaphor for the breath of God in Indian classical style). In fact, so potent is each selection that it is almost impossible to listen to the recordingstraight through! One! wants to play and replay each piece, pondering its innate ability to wake the soul before moving to the next tone. P.J. Birosik, syndicated columnist, President - Musik International