A one-man cosmic symphony exploring the wonder of the universe, the creativity of the cosmos, and our own place within it. Here is our review of multi-award-winning musician Gary Albert’s concert film Luminosity.
In the press pack to his show, Gary Albert tells us a little about his inspiration for creating Luminosity after realising that he wasn’t as fulfilled or as happy in his life as he thought he was; he wanted to make music that was important to himself. During the lockdown, he was able to reflect on life, spirituality, the stars, and the cosmos. In a sense, the 55-minute Luminosity concert film is Gary’s answer to the meaning of life. Using text from Brian Swimme’s The Universe is a Green Dragon as a jumping-off point, the effortless sounds of the concert hardly suggest the painstaking work that went into them.
Filmed in the stunning location of The Sanctuary within the walls of St Cyprian’s Church on Baker Street, Luminosity is a multi-instrumental dream, where you are taken from the beginning of the world to the present day, cleverly using echo, sound delays, the human voice, and imagination your senses are pounded with sounds that can make you feel any number of emotions at any number of times.
Luminosity evokes imagery that is reminiscent in parts to the progressive rock bands of the 70’s while also managing to be completely modern. It is classical music at its heart, but there is so much more going on with hints of synthesisers, 80’s new wave, musical theatre and then, in the moments when Gary plays his flute, we are taken up to whole new levels of inspirational drama. There is a 5-minute section of music around the 32-minute mark when Gary picks up his flute that is so beautifully uplifting it immediately transports you into the realms of what could be Middle Earth, Narnia, Harry Potter, or any other £300 million fantasy blockbuster you can think of. Then just when you think he has taken things as far as he can the moments when Gary unleashes his excellent voice, an ethereal falsetto that soars Enya-esque through the church giving Luminosity the cinematic edge he was undoubtedly looking for. If you have the patience to listen you will be able to hear it all.
With regards to the direction and editing, Alex Forster excels despite having very little to work with; Albert has a basic set-up of Laptop, keyboard, mic, mini mixer, and flute. With quick cuts, Forster manages to close in on some dramatic keyboard strokes while lingering close-ups allow us to see the complete intoxication of Albert’s performance, sometimes capturing the artist and the audience in a trance-like state. Meanwhile, the sound mix that has been mastered by Zaak Kerstetter enables us to hear every nuance of every note, key change, and sound effect clearly, crisp and sharp allowing us to indulge in the passion that is on show.
As Gary himself says “I create music to bring people into a deeper state of mind, body, heart, soul, and spirit, to remind people of their true nature, their inner light, their; Luminosity”
If you are looking for meaning, hope, or even some time to reflect on yourself and everything that has happened during these trying times catch Gary Albert’s magical performance, close your eyes and let him take you on a journey to another world entirely.
Leave a Reply