An Acrobat’s Heart

Before releasing an acrobat’s heart, Annette Peacock had only appeared on ECM as a composer. Accompanying herself on the piano in the presence of the Cikada String Quartet, she reveals consummate artistry. Her tone, imploring without being desperate, examines the folds of her autobiographical curtains, each of which reveals a scene as fresh as the day it was first lived. Her lyrics never waste words, and the arrangements are by turns mysterious, cinematic, and as inwardly focused as they are unusually extroverted. The strings are accented and sincere, gilding the wrapping of this singular sonic gift.