With »Aunes« Judith Hamann presents an album full of intimate song reflections that have been created over several years and in different places around the world. The Berlin-based Australian, who is known as a cellist and composer, makes increased use of her voice alongside her main instrument – not in the classical sense of singing, but as a sonic element that uses breathing, throat clearing, singing, quiet speech and field recordings to create a multi-layered, atmospheric depth. These vocal layers are complemented by oscillating synthesizers, improvised organ playing and the careful sound design that characterises her work. In collaborations with artists such as Alvin Lucier, Oren Ambarchi, Jules Reidy or CS + Kreme, she has already experimented in a variety of ways beyond classical conventions. Earlier solo albums such as ‘Music for Cello and Humming’ also showed her preference for environmental recordings and improvised humming to her cello playing.
On »Aunes« all of this seems more deeply rooted in the composition, in the deliberately moving cosmos of well-thought-out improvisation and electro-acoustic arrangement. Her voice swings back and forth between hushed hissing and wordless sounds and absorbed humming, while wind noises and chirping crickets emerge like impressionistic snapshots. The epic final piece ‘neither from nor towards’ expands to 16 minutes at the end, giving the cello plenty of space, while her peculiarly engaging singing dances around the notes in two different overdubs, inviting the listener to engage in deep listening.
Aunes
