A new orchestral dimension for Spark
With ‘Kiss of Fire’, Spark presents an album that makes the heartbeat of the ensemble palpable. It is much more than just another release from this ‘classical band’, which has been reinterpreting classical music with a vital, boundary-crossing spirit since its inception. Here, passion and a joy of experimentation meet detailed sound art – and a special story that runs like a thread through the album.
At its heart is the concert piece of the same name by Dutch composer Chiel Meijering, a long-time friend and musical companion of Spark. His music shapes the ensemble’s unmistakable, energetic sound. Meijering composed ‘Kiss of Fire’ – a concerto for Spark, string orchestra and percussion – as a journey through the many facets of love. The nine character pieces display a wide range of emotions: from tender security and ambivalent feelings in ‘Love and Hate’ to the blossoming of new feelings in ‘When Love Comes Knocking’, fulfilment in ‘I Have Loved and I’ve Been Loved’, incessant longing in “Again, Again, Again, Again, Again‘, constant closeness in ’Together Forever‘, hope in ’Dawning of Lovelight‘, loving dedication in ’For a Special Lady I Know‘, farewell in ’When the Party Is Over‘ and sensual perception in ’Five Senses in Love”.
The premiere took place on Valentine’s Day 2014 in Amsterdam – a musical statement and the beginning of a long journey of collaboration between Spark and Meijering. After ‘Kiss of Fire’ was performed on international stages and with various orchestras, the final recording took place in Heilbronn on 14 February 2024, exactly ten years after the premiere. The Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn, conducted by Johannes Witt, opens up a new orchestral dimension to Spark’s sound and broadens the emotional spectrum. Guest musicians Vanessa Porter and Emil Kuyumcuyan on percussion add additional rhythmic and colourful accents to the album.
On this album, Spark once again captivates with an impressive variety of sounds and musical ideas, brought to life with an unusual array of instruments including numerous recorders, melodica, violin, viola, cello and piano. The music of this adventurous quintet is classical at its core, but opens up sonically and stylistically to minimal music, pop, avant-garde and jazz. What matters is not the genre, but the expression, the feeling, the connection to the audience.
In addition to Meijering’s main work, the musicians of Spark present four of their own pieces on the album, which take up motifs and sound ideas from ‘Kiss of Fire’ and develop them further in their own personal way. The titles ‘The Art of Forgiving’, ‘Waltz of the Ladybirds’, ‘What the Night Promised’ and ‘Patti Is Dancing’ reflect individual reflections and show Spark as an ensemble that passionately and creatively lives out its musical identity.
The album concludes with an orchestral finale, ‘Touch Her Soft Lips and Part’ by William Walton. During joint concerts, Spark and the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn felt that this piece was the perfect complement to the main work – a delicate, peaceful outro to a fiery album.
With ‘Kiss of Fire’, the musicians of Spark document a love story with music, their audience and themselves. It is an album for everyone who loves sound and emotion, surprise and depth: love at first note.
