Christof R Davis is a West Midlands-based composer who has just come to my attention through his upcoming album The Tree & The Moon.
By Graeme Smith
Though new to us, Christof is making quite the impression on the contemporary classical scene, and he’s been featured on BBC Radio 3 and 6 Music. Born and raised in the West Midlands, he and his brother Mikey were drawn to the creative world early on, and he’s studied music formally at Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.
The Tree & The Moon brings together Christof’s love of ambient and electronic music with contemporary classical, solo piano and jazz. It’s a concept album, exploring the nightly goings-on in the woodlands near his home, and the music beautifully brings the place, and its folklore, to life across ten tracks.
The album opens with ethereal prologue The Path & The Pilgrim, a piece that slowly builds, drawing us into the atmosphere and story of the collection. Licks of electric guitar sit alongside ghostly notes, before chiming percussion and thoughtful piano come in, giving a wonderful sense of texture.
From there we are invited into a world that has a surprise around every corner. We get a ponderous night flight in the form of The Owl & The Dark, understatedly dramatic rises and falls in title track The Tree & The Moon, a dynamic, percussive chase in the The Moth & The Bat, and some cosmic whimsy in The Mouse & The Starlight. All the while, the compositions feels pleasantly cohesive and the sense of immersion is never lost.
With his new album, Christof R Davis has created a sterling collection of pieces. It never gets lost within itself, and has a strong narrative throughout. If neoclassical is a genre in which you don’t usually find yourself dabbling, give The Tree & The Moon a go, you might find yourself hooked.
The Tree & The Moon features the talents Christof’s brother Mikey on soprano sax, Jono Wright and ALX on guitar, and a Rome-based string quartet of Matteo Morbidelli, Elisabetta Paolini, Dlvusae Castrucci and Mattia Geracitano (directed by Stefano Tiero and recorded by Federico Tiero).
The album is set for release on 25 April and can be pre-ordered here.
