Jordan Nobles. Chiaroscuro.

When our ancient ancestors gazed up at the tiny dots of light illuminated against the inky black darkness of the night sky, they were captivated by the mysterious and beautiful spectacle displayed before them. The award-winning Vancouver composer Jordan Nobles clearly shares this fascination with the cosmos—his Redshift Records is named after a term of measurement used in astronomy. Further evidence can be heard throughout his discography, particularly in the expansive, spatial depth of works from his 2017 album Surface Tension or the minimalist, guitar echoes of last year’s Infinity Mirror.

 

On Chiaroscuro, he explores the dichotomy between light and dark—symbolized in the image of the moon on the front cover—across two large ensemble pieces for chamber orchestra. Titled in reference to the Renaissance period visual-art style characterized by bold colour contrasts, the recording embodies this aesthetic in both form and content. The titular composition plays like a sci-fi film score, with the guitar and horn sections casting shadowy resonances over the aural landscape. Tremolo effects recur throughout, eliciting the uneasy feeling that one is suspended in the void of space. “Pulses” provides the counterpoint to this tension, its twinkling keyboard percussion and splendorous flute melodies conveying the listener along harmonic passages of sonorous luminescence.

 

Throughout Chiaroscuro, the musical interplay between elements of light and dark capture a primordial sense of wonderment that only a composer as contemplative as Jordan Nobles could achieve.