Album Review: Sapphire Oak by Sharon Fendrich

Review by Marilyn Torres

In her newest CD, Sapphire Oak, Sharon Fendrich utilizes her love of the natural world and her gift of composition, and invites us to explore the diverse nature and function of the oak and its landscape. 

In the first minute and a half of Sea of Oaks, we hear the cascading piano followed by the Irish whistle and then the fiddle and again the piano, giving the piece a circular motion as a soothing choir emerges and we again make our way to the individual instruments one by one as the circle closes in a dance like the falling leaves of an oak tree.

Leaves of Glory and The Grove at Dodona both begin with a similar morning dawn feel which rises into a full orchestral stretch before coming to rest on solid ground. Runic Roots and Call of the Ruins incorporate windswept sound, however while the former felt playful, with its picking of the string instruments like tiptoeing through a valley, Fendrich’s vocals in the latter, Call of the Ruins, lend it a celestial and emotional grasp.  

Fendrich’s creative composition produces another lively dance between the harp, the flute and the fiddle in The Oaken Door, while in Dryad’s Rejoice the harp sets the stage for the contemplative piano and Irish whistle.

The somewhat ominous opening in Of Badges and Crowns frames the piece as a call for reverence and honor. In contrast, Under Her Canopy gives the listener a fairy garden aura as Fendrich and her daughter Talia Valdes join in harmonious vocals taking us deep into the forest. 

To further showcase the artistic and intellectual virtuosity of Sharon Fendrich, the title piece, Sapphire Oak, features Fendrich singing her lyrics in the language of Ta’ek which Fendrich herself developed! 

In the final piece, Carry the Oak, the Irish whistle, the fiddle, and the piano collaborate once more to direct the flow of the piece as it gently carries the listener towards the powerful yet tender finale.

With grace and intelligence, Sharon Fendrich has produced a work encompassing the qualities of the beloved oak tree; strong, warm, expansive and serene.   

~Marilyn Torres for Auralscapes 

For more information please visit the artist's website. Sapphire Oak is also available at Amazon, Apple Music and more.

Album Review: Red Sky Prairie by Sharon Fendrich

Born and raised in Eugene, Oregon, pianist-composer and vocalist Sharon Fendrich began her music studies at age three. Eventually releasing her debut album, Red Sky Prairie, Fendrich travelled to the small town of Stein in the Netherlands to record the project at Kerani Music Studio with engineer Arno Op de Camp. Comprised of eleven compositions spanning an hour, Red Sky Prairie beautifully epitomizes neoclassical new age exquisiteness with its striking combination of gentle piano and voice set to mellifluous orchestral ensembles. Showcasing the contributing impeccable talents of Russian vocalist Anna Emelyanova, cellist Joep Willems, violinist Wilfred Sassen, and flautists Helen Hendriks and les Muller, Red Sky Prairie brilliantly boasts emotionally therapeutic and harmonious arrangements of utmost pristine elegance.

Employing heavenly choral and soprano vocals sung in English, Spanish, Latin and Yiddish along the way, Fendrich’s soul-elevating compositions create an atmosphere of divine love, peace and hope. Some outstanding examples include transcendently radiant “Song of the Dove”, an angelic aria sung in the international language of Esperanto. Fendrich also adds intriguingly subtle touches of magic throughout, one example being the sounds of crickets singing softly at the close of the album's title track. Several pieces touch on notably tender subjects, such as the September 11th dedicated final number, “That September Day”, which concludes the album with a pastoral sense of remembrance, healing and comfort.

Striking a perfect balance of innocence and maturity, Red Sky Prairie is a stunning accomplishment for an artist debut that will surely soothe the minds and hearts of many adults and children alike. Drawing inspiration from the new age, Celtic and classical music genres, listeners especially who enjoy everything from Secret Garden to David Lanz will find much to cherish herein. A serenely heartfelt album I’d say was long overdue within this wing of the genre, Red Sky Prairie is arguably one of the most outstanding neoclassical new age albums this year! ~Candice Michelle

For more information please visit the artist's website. This album is also available at Amazon, iTunes and other retail & streaming platforms.