Christina Vantzou is an American visual artist who was previously part of the audiovisual duo Dead Texan and played briefly with Sparklehorse. She now lives and works in Brussels. Music is an important part of her video installations, No 1 contains her first compositions without additional images. The music originated on a synthesizer but was arranged by arranger and conductor Minna Choi for chamber
… orchestra performances by the Magik * Magik Orchestra, supplemented with the keyboard playing of Vantzou. Her compositions can be described as ethereal sound sculptures full of solemn drones and slowly waving crescendos. Strings and electronic sounds complement each other organically. It is sometimes reminiscent of the classical music that Angelo Badalamenti wrote for the films of David Lynch and especially of Henryk Górecki's Third Symphony. But although Vantzou, like Górecki, seems to want to evoke a lot with her music - from heavenly images to pure darkness - it doesn't really want to touch anything. No 1 is just a little too sterile and artistic for that. (MR)more
