ERIC CHAPELLE
Our Time
(c) (p) 1998 Hamsa Music
14tks/67mins

Somewhere far away, far from the noisy cities of this crazy world, in the middle of a boundless ocean there is a miraculous place, where pease reigns, where eternal blue sky is reflected in turquoise water, and the sun swims among the foamy clouds, and even the time becomes slower... There, almost at the world's end...

And one desires to get there, to find himself at that beautiful place at least for a moment. And then, being refreshed and cleaned, to plunge back into whirlpool of unsteady world and to venture a great number of fabulous deeds.

Such images are evoked by the works of Eric Chapelle. His album is a music of a deepmost calm and pease. Our Time is an alrernative view at our time. Strange, but it can also be such: relaxed and filled by beauty. And the romantic and very melodious compositions of Eric Chapelle are permeated with that beauty. His piano sounds naturally. There is no sugariness or tedium. And the composer easily allows his inspiration to express itself by creating the streams of warm, tender melodies, into which you want to dip, as if it were a warm oceanic water.

Our Time is a good example of relaxational music. But it is also something more. This music returns you back to yourself and allows to feel that just this, current moment is beautiful and will never come back. Music of Eric Chapelle is totally in present. And it is perfectly formed.

The music of this album has a subtle fragrance of refinement and aristocratism. It slightly reminds the works of French impressionists. And its mood is bright.

As if you stand on shore and see a white sailer which has appeared far away from the boundless sea and slowly comes closer to you. To where sails that solely ship? Through which seas? To which countries? And to where it will pull in?

His way is far. But its sails hover proudly. Its high masts rise with confidence. Its sides are strong. And the friends wait you there. And one wants to join there, to start the way under that boundless sky, across that boundless water to the miraculous country where Love waits you.

Serge Kozlovsky