| "[Her pieces] have an underlying sense of magic and mystery. Unlike some of her more intellectual contemporaries, Leach is not merely messing around with the properties of sound; she's exploring (and connecting with) the aesthetic and even spiritual power of sound." - Bill Tilland, Option
The works of Mary Jane Leach explore the physicality of sound, working very carefully with the timbres of instruments, creating combination, difference, and interference tones. Space is also an important concern: how sound changes when it is moved around a room. "Either enmasse or in antiphonal clusters, Ms. Leach's slow-paced and soothing music seemed intent on filling this high-ceilinged space with different densities of sound." - Bernard Holland, New York Times.
Celestial Fires features the New York Treble Singers, (Virginia Davidson, conductor) performing four 8-part pieces for a capella women's voices; Shannon Peet performing Feu de Joie for 7 bassoons; and Barbara Held and Ms. Leach performing Trio for Duo for alto flute and voice.
"Prettiest of all--Bruckstück took the cream of Bruckner's Eighth Symphony, its haunting harmonic resolutions, and repeated them with swells of emotion." - Kyle Gann, Village Voice
"Leach has created a sonic world of tonal beauty, a visionary quest for inner peace." - Fabrizio Gilardino, Vice Versa |