Pianist and composer
Amina Figarova was asleep in a Brooklyn apartment belonging to friends when the events of September 11, 2001 unfolded. As she moved about the city after the destruction of the World Trade Center, and later returned home to Rotterdam, a powerful documentary inspired her to create
September Suite. The moody introduction, "Numb," is tinged with sadness; in it she utilizes her instrument to depict the carnage and the chaos of the crowds trying to get away or track down missing relatives. "Emptyness" has the cadence of a funeral march, blending Nico Schepers' mournfully voiced trumpet with
Bart Platteau's flute. She opens her haunting "Photo Album" with unaccompanied piano, and the full sextet joins her as she depicts the survivors attempting to connect with their lost loved ones.
Amina Figarova's
September Suite packs an emotional punch, yet never repels the listener; instead, this fascinating work invites one to return to it again and again in order to fully appreciate its message. ~ Ken Dryden