ISABEL PINE - Fables

After five EPs released independently and only in digital format, violinist Isabel Pine is finally ready to face a wider market with her debut album, released by Kranky.

For the musician, "Fables" marks a first decisive step outside the rigid rules of neoclassical music: the interaction between the wild, wintry landscapes of the Canadian countryside and the sonic vibrations of viola, cello, violin and double bass remains at the heart of her work, but the intensity and creative daring make these fifteen compositions disarmingly beautiful.

The choice to record the instruments outdoors and capture all the natural reverberations of the soundscapes shaped by Isabel Pine is undoubtedly one of the winning elements of "Fables". On the title track you can almost hear the wind filtering through the violin strings, a faint movement that comes even more to the fore across the three minutes of the ethereal "A Flickering Light", or in the dreamlike "Sun Dog". The Canadian artist has said she wants to follow in the footsteps of artists like Hildur Guðnadóttir, Colin Stetson and Max Richter, freeing the viola from its more classical traits. And it only takes the opening notes of a track like the imposing "Wandering" to appreciate the Canadian musician's skill in capturing a sense of movement and sonic bliss that has all the hallmarks of a film score. But there's no story to tell behind the exquisite duet of synth and strings on "Winnow" - "Fables" is itself a story, a flow of sounds and images that carries just the right pathos while staying well clear of ambient music's shallows.

The dense, soft-edged "Snow", the icy majesty of "Moonlight" and the descriptive power of "Bare" and "Butterfly Lands On A Flower" stand out as the most intense pages of an excellent record. Isabel Pine approaches her first foray into the recording world with impressive maturity and self-awareness. With such a rich array of harmonies and instrumental layering on display, preserving the deep-seated nature of these compositions was no easy task: it's clear the Canadian artist has often taken away rather than added notes and ornamentation, letting the sheer power of the compositions be the key to reading a thoroughly original record.

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04/04/2026