Etudes of the Crow

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The 3rd album from Gifts From Crows, ‘Etudes of the Crow’ is the final part of the trilogy that started with ‘Holding a Thought Forever’ back in 2020. 

An Etude can be interpreted as a ‘study’ in musical form, a short instrumental composition that is designed to practice a particular skill or technique. And in one way or another, the 8 pieces that constitute this album did evolve out of experiments with time signatures, sound design and performance. 

As is customary for Laurence, composition always begins on the ancient brass frame piano that has been in his family for over a century. What is unique about this release however is that each of the 8 pieces have been recorded in 3 distinct formats – 1) Solo Piano, 2) Orchestral Arrangement and 3) Ambient / Electronic. The fascinating thing is how the mood of each piece can be completely transformed as you move through the 3 different versions of the same composition.

The other important point to make about this album is that it was again produced in collaboration with a visual artist, this time Swedish Photographer Johanna Ronn. Laurence chanced upon Ronn’s work via her Instagram channel and felt an immediate connection with the ethereal beauty of her photographs.

In the past, Laurence has often composed pieces inspired by photographs, using the image as a virtual score. This time however, the process was much more a two way exchange of ideas that evolved as the 2 artists got to know one another. The images of Ronn’s that Laurence was initially drawn to were very abstract in nature. However, as the project progressed it soon became apparent that it was Ronn’s portraiture work that held the emotional charge required to inspire the musical compositions.

 Further exploration revealed that Ronn herself would be the actor in her own photographs and she set about creating a set of striking images inspired by both the music and the titles of the compositions. 

In many cultures across the world, birds of the corvid family such as ravens and crows have long been seen as omens of loss and foreboding, and yet, their symbolism is complex. As talking birds they can also represent prophecy and insight connecting the material world with that of the spirits.

Through the 8 compositions on ‘Etudes of the Crow’ and the accompanying self portraits, Laurence and Ronn explore the influence that our subconscious minds have over our experienced reality. In their work, the crow is the chosen visual metaphor for the myths we tell ourselves in order to cope with our day to day lives.

Crow is the shadow falling across the land, the messenger slipping between the spiritual and material worlds. Owned by no-one, loyal to no-one but too clever to simply be the unbiased carrier of information, the objective channel. 

We live our lives at the mercy of so much we cannot control. Our dreams lap at the shore of our conscious minds, daring us to hope or preying upon our doubts and fears. The seasons pass through us year after year, the moon’s gravity pulls us with the tides. 

And yet, the crow is our unreliable interpreter, the small still voice. Everything gets twisted in his black beak and must be picked apart for meaning. Everything is open to continual interpretation, even our own memories. It is the price we pay for being unable to bear the silence, this curious torment of unknowing.

The 8 compositions that constitute ‘Etudes of the Crow’ will progressively be released on all streaming platforms from the 2nd of September 2022 with the full album being released in January 2023. The work will also be available as a gatefold CD with an 8 page booklet featuring the beautiful photographs that accompany the music.

"Etudes of the Crow’ is a beautiful album that deserves all the plaudits in the classical music scene. 2023 already has its first big neoclassical album and that album is ‘Etudes of the Crow’. "

"If you’re into neoclassical music, then Etudes Of The Crow is a must-listen. If you’re not usually, then I implore you to give it a go. You may find yourself a convert like me."