The veteran new age pianist
Peter Kater is a master composer and player equally inspired, it has seemed, by classical music and pop/rock. His best work in the early '90s had a catchy pop edge and was easy to categorize as symphonic instrumental rock at times. These days, he's a little more meditational and expansive, but no less inspiring. His
Heart's Desire is a musical collage that centers on the piano and finds him coloring the harmonies with the diverse woodwinds of
Paul McCandless. "My Heart's Eyes" is a gentle yet sweeping prayer inflected with the urgency of
McCandless' oboe. "Clear Skies" has a little more rhythmic foundation (reminiscent of that early-'90s pop phase) while "Winds of Change" focuses more on emotional ambience before the drums peek in. "Hearts' Desire" blends a series of glissandos with a chamber music effect. Overall,
Kater and
McCandless simply go where their muse takes them, usually to more artistic than commercially oriented realms. ~ Jonathan Widran