There is a particular gravity to Canto Ostinato, a sense that once it begins, time loosens its grip. In the hands of Metropolis Ensemble, Erik Hall, and Sandbox Percussion, Sections 74–87 unfold with a patient authority that feels both faithful and quietly transformative. Simeon ten Holt’s landmark minimalist work has always invited reinvention; this rendering embraces that invitation with meticulous care and a broad, luminous palette.
The rhythmic architecture remains the engine. Ten Holt’s looping cells—restless but never hurried—are articulated here with remarkable clarity. Sandbox Percussion’s mallet instruments carry the pulse with a unified, almost athletic grace. Patterns interlock, repeat, expand, and subtly refract. Nothing feels rigid. Instead, the rhythm breathes, hovering between propulsion and suspension. The ostinato figures gather momentum in waves, then recede, allowing space for harmonic overtones to shimmer at the edges.
Erik Hall’s concert grand piano stands at the center, threading the composition together with a touch that is both grounded and searching. His phrasing preserves the devotional quality of the original keyboard writing, yet the surrounding ensemble reframes it. The piano’s arpeggiated figures ripple outward, sometimes crisp and percussive, sometimes softened into near-ambient haze. In these passages, the synth-like resonance of sustained harmonics—whether produced acoustically or through careful layering—creates a halo effect. The tonal field feels expanded, less anchored to a single instrument, more like a shared current.
Around this core, Metropolis Ensemble builds a vast, almost cinematic atmosphere. Eighteen strings, led by Kristin Lee, add an otherworldly depth, their sustained lines stretching the harmonic fabric until it glows. The woodwinds, arranged in an octet, introduce shifting colors—fleeting flares of timbre that move like light through stained glass. The result is kaleidoscopic without ever becoming ornate. Each element serves the whole; no voice overstates its presence.
Recorded in New York in 2025 by GRAMMY-winning engineer Mike Tierney, the performance carries an intimacy that enhances its ambient and new age dimensions. The soundstage feels open yet detailed. One senses the air between notes, the gentle friction of mallets on bars, the collective inhalation before a transition. This attentiveness to texture amplifies the meditative quality inherent in Sections 74–87.
As a standalone excerpt, this release offers a compelling entry point into ten Holt’s monumental opus. As a collaboration, it stands as a world-class convergence of precision and feeling. A high-quality interpretation of enduring material, and one we are genuinely pleased to feature in our webzine with a dedicated review.