[iH1wMOhE]

"night of hunters"



let's talk about "night of hunters"

she takes this scarlatti sonata which itself is already very delicate, kind of classical but also romantic...
Vladimir Horowitz: Scarlatti sonata K.466

... and makes it this subtle afterthought that comes up in between that opulent festive sound which mimics the religious chant aspect of the "salve regina"

it's amazing when sometimes you have those pieces and they come from a certain era but they sound kind of like ahead of their time, not willing to be put into just one category.

which is how you could also this song. you listen to the song and there are moments you're saying how baroque it sounds...
Händel: "Streams of pleasure...thither let our hearts aspire" (from Theodora)

...and then you hear those parts that remind you of what a modern vocal ensemble would do with such a theme (here performed by those two voices)...
David Lang: "It was terribly cold" (from Little match girl passion)

... and you wonder in your head if the song would maybe profit from having a choir, but then you realize that the two voices there are actually expressive enough to carry it by themselves...
... then you're reminded of something tori has done in the past...
Father Lucifer

... maybe you're even tempted to say you've heard it in a musical...
Sondheim: "Your fault / Last midnight" (from Into the woods)

... I really like how she references all these different sounds and still they all come together as a whole.
what makes this one of my favorite songs not just on the album, but in the last ten years or so, is how she uses the vocals. you can actually hear how essential they are if you compare it to the instrumental version. it's a totally different thing.
and the instrumentation, she may overuse the woodwinds and the strings and whatnot on some other songs, sometimes it sounds like they're just there for the sake of it (from the album "the tori amos woodwind ensemble/chamber orchestra plays romantic piano pieces")
you don't get that feeling here. it's really well used, everything in its place, at the right time, you know where it came from, and you know what it is supposed to be.