Francisco del Pino, Charlotte Mundy
Notice Recordings, 2025
The Sea is a fine example of a beautiful exchange between composer and performer, with Francisco del Pino’s precise and rhythmically intricate compositions brought vividly to life by Charlotte Mundy’s clear, subtly emotive and powerful voice. Despite having unmistakable reference points in early polyphony, The Sea employs harmonies, rhythms, and articulations that reach out gently but firmly. The repetition of syllables in “Material” brings out the thrill of small changes: sudden chords, dissonances, the fleeting emotion of Mundy’s meticulous phrasing. By contrast, “The Sea”—a text by Victoria Cóccaro—foregrounds words in a layered, roiling bed composed of ruminations on water, creation, mysteries of existence, and ecstatic passions for the mundane and beautiful. Repeated phrases and lines form a loamy foundation from which unfurls an expansive wave-like monologue that, through Mundy’s voice, alternately resembles a mantra, a recitation, and a desperate prayer. Simultaneously grieving, wildly optimistic, and in love with life. The layering of words necessitates a particular way of listening; comprehending only some phrases above the fray, with such fragmentation leading to heightened, momentary resonances as the brain tries to stay afloat. In a profound way, this deeply generous performance also brings to mind the role of recording technologies—multitrack digital recording, editing, panning, reverbs—in achieving a level of precision almost absolute in terms of both performance and emotional intent. (Evan Lindorff-Ellery)
Album credits
Music by Francisco del Pino
Vocals by Charlotte Mundy
Words to “The Sea” by Victoria Cóccaro, translated from Spanish by Rebekah Smith. Published by DoubleCross Press, 2024
Recorded and produced by Charlotte Mundy and Francisco del Pino
Mixed and mastered by Matt Poirier
With special thanks to Princeton Sound Kitchen and the Department of Music at Princeton University
Artwork by E. Lindorff-Ellery
Printed by Small Fires Press
