The Gatherings concert series seeks to present a range of innovative artists from the ambient, electronic, and spacemusic genres. A lot of the performers are well known to me. But every once in a while an act comes through that catches me unaware. So it was with virgin ears that I witnessed show #69 in The Gatherings concert series with British electronic musician David Wright.

David Wright's music has been likened to Kitaro, Vangelis, Mike Oldfield, and Yanni. I would later connect the references after listening to the copy of Walking With Ghosts I picked up at the show. But his performance this night bore less resemblance to New Age tendencies; melodic and flowing but not to excess. Wright opened the show with a piece written for the evening called "Desire". This number began with a slow build of synth washes. About midway it broke into a rhythmic segment with a nice mix of earthy percussion. The music never plodded along the whole night, even during the more moodier segments. It was more an active listening experience. The second song of the first set was the title track from his album Walking With Ghosts. And little ol' me, sitting unaware of the piece arrangement, darn near jumped out of the pew when the nice slow piano soliloquy that opened the piece segued abruptly into a pulsating rhythm. Where "Desire" had been more organic, the rhythm in "Walking With Ghosts" was more synthetic. The song closed with a reprise of the opening piano movement. Thus ended the first half of the evening's music.

After the obligatory intermission David Wright returned to the stage. The second set contained three songs. The titles of the first two were casualties of bad timing as I had my attention focused elsewhere at the moment he announced what he played. Though I know not their names, the songs had the same elements of the first set. Lots of great tension and release moments as the songs would alternate between contemplative and energetic passages. Another enjoyable aspect to David Wright's show was (like Der Spyra's back in March) his musicianship. Much more fun to follow along when the artist is literally playing the music you are hearing. Not taking away from other acts, it just adds a little something extra. Wright closed with "Cassini", a piece off the album Continuum; a gorgeous number that had more than a few people swaying to the rhythm, and a very apropos piece to end the show with. Romanticism seems the appropriate description. Where some performances at the Gatherings made me Think, Wright's music made me Feel.

by Chuck Nixon - 14 October 2007

• Official Website: http://www.davidwrightmusic.com
• MySpace Webpage: http://www.myspace.com/myspacecomdavidwrightmusic
• STAR'S END Profile: http://www.starsend.org/davidwright.html
• AD Music Website: http://www.admusiconline.com
• Details on David Wright live at The Gatherings Concert Series in Philadelphia: 15 September 2012