REVIEWS
“Hinterland” CD review at the ZoneMusicReporter website by reviewer Bill Binkleman (01/04/2017)
"...this is very intimate music, not lush or vista-evocative. Instead, this is music that might convey the wonder and awe of examining a single leaf, or perhaps watching a deer delicately walk through a sunny glade...
...Bacchus is not leading you by the hand to some pre-destined emotional or physical end point. Again, this is “wandering” music which, if you allow it to penetrate your mind, will not so much transport you somewhere concrete but it will create the space and vehicle for you to transport yourself should you so desire...
...I will say the final three songs are all among my favorites on the disc. “The Edge of Remote” intermixes tones, notes, and quasi-nature sounds, with an underlying pensive keyboard melody and is colored by a blend of somberness and subtle jubilation (there’s a paradoxical mix for you). “Hinterland” opens with bass and cello orchestral strings, but short-bowed, which is atypical for new age or ambient music. Piano and swirling keyboards contain a classical influence along with more typical orchestral strings, and are joined by a chorus of frogs! The track has drama, not overblown, however it does stand in stark contrast to the other songs on the album. The closing “All Roads Lead Home” ends the album with energy and cheerfulness, with an underlying peppy synth rhythm and Asian music motifs on assorted keyboards. It certainly conveys a feeling of happiness at returning to the comfort of one’s home.
..Hinterland marks a triumphant return.."
Read Bill Binkleman's full review at ZoneMusicReporter
“Hinterland” CD review by reviewer, Richard Gürtler (11/06/2016, Bratislava, Slovakia)
"like a collection of small introspective stories, although strongly connected by its natural environment, no matter if melancholic or euphoric...
...The title composition "Hinterland" is filled with epic orchestral movements, occasionally enriched by wildlife quietudes. The most melodious tune "All Roads Lead Home" closes this album in a quite delighted tone...
...If you are searching for relaxing, new age-driven soundsculptings, don’t hesitate to explore Stephen Bacchus wanderings though picturesque untamed Canadian wilderness...“Hinterland” is probably the most mature and sophisticated recording of Stephen Bacchus..."
Read Richard Gurtler reviews
Listener Reviews
"I listened to Stephen Bacchus’s remarkable new album, HINTERLAND; MUSICAL SOJOURNS INTO THE WILDERNESS, with a great deal of pleasure and interest. These meditative and poignant compositions are truly reflective of nature, creating gentle moods, even as Bacchus’s unique musical voice continues to surprise and delight at every cadence. In these finely-wrought works, we find the logical 21st-century extension of the nature-evoking Symphonic Poems of Sibelius and Smetana. Bacchus, with each of these gems, paints a picture that sonically welcomes us to the hinterland’s doorstep. He then takes us on a mesmerizing journey into its heart."
—Scott M.
"...Among my favourite discs of this or any other year...This Hinterland may very well be your masterwork."
—Beck H.
“...great CD - really enjoyed. Actually it gets inside of you - like you are not hearing it but it casts a spell on you - holds onto you but doesn’t over power...always moving into the next level. Well done!!!”
—Rob S.
“Listening to Hinterland, I felt a joyful sense of renewal and hope. Stephen Bacchus has been inspired by timeless time, spent in the wild, and the pristine purity and clarity of the north woods emerges in the melodies and ambience of Hinterland.”
—Peter R.
