Nick Schofield

Glass Gallery

When the National Gallery of Canada — the building itself, not the institution — was completed in 1988, then-Prime Minister Brian Mulroney called it “a living part of Canada.” The massive Moshe Safdie-designed institution remains an awe-inspiring achievement, with its 53,265-square-metre surface of pink granite, concrete and glass sitting atop Nepean Point overlooking the Ottawa River. It’s no surprise this Ottawa landmark, especially the cathedral-like Colonnade and the grand windows of the Great Hall, could inspire such an

Japanese ambient from pioneers such as Hiroshi Yoshimura and Midori Takada, is at an all-time high. Schofield wears those influences well without succumbing to them, taking an approach akin to that of composer and programmer Laurie Spiegel, specifically referenced in the liner notes.

While it does work in and out of order, as often ambient music can, Glass Gallery does reveal itself quite beautifully in its intended sequence. Where much instrumental music tends to unfold in a crescendo, Schofield resists the impulse and instead offers something closer to an abatement, peaking around mid-album track “Travertine

Museum” before softly landing with closer “Key of Klee.” Ultimately, Glass Gallery marks a very confident step forward from Schofield’s debut, Water Sine, while hinting toward even more creativity just bubbling under the still surface. (Backward)

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