The moment an artist acquires such an incredible ability to see music as colors and perceive landscapes in melodies, something extraordinary happens. Toledo-based artist RH Fox, a classically trained pianist, renowned composer, and acclaimed nature photographer – is one of those few who are able to live the life at this fascinating junction between the visual artistry and pure sonic emotions. By applying his innate virtuosity and elegance, he creates a unique mixture of expressive piano, modern instrumental compositions, and New Age influences that transform human feelings, light, and the silence of wild nature into sounds. “Painting in the Dark”, an outstanding ten-track album by RH Fox, is a brilliant manifestation of this extraordinary vision and talent, where the colors, shadows, and emotions captured in the photographs of the author find their reflection on the keys of his piano. The album was released on July 10th, and now it is time to get acquainted with the details of this fascinating debut album.
The album begins with an extremely personal feel in “Follow the Creek,” which is introduced not by any cliché environmental music but by a lovely piano melody in a muffled minor key backed up by a violin swell in low frequency and ambient tape saturation. To the artist, what was once a deeply personal memory of exploring the tranquil banks of a creek with a cherished friend in Toledo, Ohio, was a golden childhood experience of innocence and wonder, and has through the skillful hands of this artist, been developed into a lifetime appreciation for the vibrant natural world in which we live. This is no ordinary memory to this artist; in their hands, it becomes a magnificent theme of exploration that is nothing short of poetic in the description of how the bends and twists in life’s path take us on unexpected journeys. It is something very special about how they convey such a personal experience into the universal experience of life and its journey from then until now. It is a powerful ability that separates their art from everyone else, transforming a whisper of memory into a powerful anthem to follow the stream wherever it may lead. The musical side of this song features delicious violin and piano melodies smoothly transitioning between soft, tracked harmonies during the song. The instrumentation is characterized by clear operatic harmonies and lush wide reverb trails.
Continuing effortlessly from there into the next composition, “Reflections of Yesterday” reveals itself by way of a lonely, reverbed piano chord sequence playing through soft pedaling and lush playing, providing the gentle heartbeat of the song. Very few things shake the world of the human soul like the quiet pain of losing cherished loved ones. The death of the artist’s dogs, Happy and Roscoe, was one such defining experience in the life of this musician that changed his whole world forever. But then, it takes an extraordinary musician, under the tutelage of great master musician David Lanz, to collect the broken pieces of pain and convert them into something eternal and magnificent. It is almost a holy art to see how the artist infuses each delicate sound with the gravity of loss, painting a beautiful picture of the pain of parting and the sweet memories of the past. Through the mentorship of Lanz, the artist was not only able to create a dedication but also created a living shrine for everyone who has known heartache after the silence of true love. It is a great reminder of their absolute genius, an absolute proof that a visionary artist can elevate their own pain to create a universal symbol of healing, love, and light. It is from this vulnerability that “Reflections of Yesterday” emerges, a work of art that will go down in history as one of the most painful but beautiful pieces of music ever created. Musically, this song is about the feelings of nostalgia and memories about the past. The performance by RH FOX in this song is very beautiful and fragile, hitting the emotional notes with the honesty that they require.
Exploring darker sonics, “The Mystic” starts the action with an ominous mouth percussion melody and an arpeggiated piano motif in the lower register, along with atmospheric synth pads to create instant harmonic conflict. An artist who is truly blessed with genius never binds himself to a high-priced recording studio but rather thrives when the two elements of genius and untamed inspiration come together. This untamable inspiration was made apparent in a week spent alone in the wilderness of Maine, where Fox took a lean-to camping spot and turned it into a laboratory for true composition by harnessing his inner light with just a battery-operated keyboard to create something that seems like pure magic of music in our time. What came out of this night in the forest could only be called hypnosis-inducing: a mysterious, enchanting, and beautiful soundscape woven together with deep modal influences reminiscent of the Arabian lands, which sound both incredibly old and incredibly modern at once. There is an incredible magic in the way his subconscious connected this rough and exotic world of the forests of New England – a world which has little in common with his native Ohio – to the sunny atmosphere of his trip to Cyprus, with its Mediterranean flavor. Watching a genius composer create such a global soundscape out of just one instrument in the wilderness is a true lesson in organic artistry. It shows that Fox does not just compose music; he composes the very spirit of his environment.
The passage of time in the album is illustrated by the track “Passage of Time,” which begins with a delicate piano solo motif at a moderate triple-time tempo with the accompaniment of a cello note sustaining the root note of the track. In this massive musical composition, the artist offers a shining mirror, imbued with emotion, to the fragile beauty of our own planetary habitat, one that we so often tend to ignore. Instead of giving us an intimidating lecture, the artist converts the harsh reality of climate change, caused by humans, into a highly visceral and emotional revelation. It is the sheer awe-inspiring and apocalyptic magnitude of the composition itself that allows the artist to capture the grace of nature along with its remarkable reflections. With the crescendo building up toward its inescapable climax, one cannot help but experience the sheer, primal force of a planet that is about to assert its very own fierce and unforgiving equilibrium in order to right the wrongs of mankind. As an audience that has been following this incredible artist for years, seeing them use their extraordinary talent to confront such an incredible truth about our planet is truly breathtaking. This is not just a song but an unparalleled example of conscious music, a timeless reminder of our human condition.
“Painting in the Dark,” the album’s title track, begins with a rich piano note decay together with a clear, syncopated chord pattern that plays the melancholy minor key motif. The composition is intended to serve as nothing other than an audio canvas to highlight the concept of creativity through contrasting volume, texture, and tone. It takes nothing less than a genuine visionary to be able to link together the two realms of photography and sound art with such natural and mesmerizing perfection. Inspired by the unique form of photography known as “Painting With Light,” where the artist creates images using his hands in total darkness with precise beams of light, Fox decided to take the idea further by recreating the very concept in the world of sound. Drawing on the shadows created by silence to form his blank canvas, Fox uses delicate melodic themes, brilliant chord voicings, and lush atmospheric textures to paint his pictures of light and shape magnificent forms against darkness. The outcome of this creative, beautifully performed experiment is captured in the majestic title song of the album, “Painting in the Dark.” This composition is a superb example of musical chiaroscuro, serving as a powerful and evocative testimony to the fact that the artist has an imagination beyond measure and paints magnificent masterpieces on the listener’s soul.
Moving into optimistic territory, “Magic of the Moment” kicks off with a sparkling piano plucking effect on bright, major chord arpeggios, immediately supported by a melodic bass line and percussive elements. The song revels in being here now, utilizing ascending scale passages and sparkling harmonies to spark joy. Inspired by a beautiful photograph that he managed to take in Western Pennsylvania, where an early morning snowfall signaled the calm change from autumn to winter, this piece is a stunning sound landscape of seasonal transition and serenity. However, the beauty of this piece is not only in its music but in the way it was created and in how much pain and dedication a true master went into this creation. After having struggled endlessly with the theme of the song, trying to find the perfect harmonic solution to translate his vision into sound, the solution came in the most beautiful, film-like fashion possible. In his dream, the melody played in perfect harmony, and when waking up from it, he hurried to his piano to record it. It is an experience of hearing that hauntingly lovely motif run throughout the piece and realizing a clear pathway between the visionary’s subconscious thoughts and his keyboard. It is absolute confirmation that this kind of artist does not simply compose music; he dreams music, lives it, and records it like fresh snowfall on an autumn morning.
With its cinematic touch, “Visions Never Seen” begins with a deep ambient drone that emerges gradually from utter silence, along with a slow piano accent with delay that creates an enormous space. This composition creates a dreamy ambiance solely by using reverberation and pedals. It takes an extraordinary musician to be capable of having enough emotional depth and sensitivity to reach into those most vulnerable parts of one’s family history and turn personal pain into a timeless and sacred musical composition. In his “Visions Never Seen,” Fox speaks of a very sensitive part of his own family history: the loss of his cousin twice removed, who died as a toddler way before his time and in whose memory Fox himself was named Robert by his parents. Having such a namesake, which stems from such a tragedy and deep pain, is certainly not an easy task to take on, but Fox does so with incredible grace and dignity. In its entirety, the song becomes a breathtaking memorial to what might have been— a profoundly moving reflection of missed possibilities, unrealized dreams, and the quiet pain of words that never got their moment to be uttered. There is such elegant beauty in the way Fox creates music from the tragic shortness of a stolen childhood, using melodies that envelope you like a hug from someone across time. To those of us who have now become fans get to see how this artist uses his music and we bear witness to Fox’s full-hearted vulnerability, and it is nothing less than emotional alchemy. It is not simply about creating a tribute; it is about creating a sanctuary for sorrow, dreams, and divine love, leaving one utterly in awe at the artist’s bravery and sublime artistry.
“Crane Dance” is performed in an elegant rhythmic sequence and begins with a finger-accompanied acoustic sequence followed by a percussive accent in wooden timbre prior to the execution of the central melody. The use of complex rhythmic sequences and flowing piano tunes symbolizes grace, balance, and buoyant movement. Great artists like Fox, do not simply look around the world but get immersed in the smallest details of it until those details become their very rhythm. Such dedication of Fox to his art can be seen here, in full glory, as the result of many hours of silent observation of Sandhill Cranes in the wild. It is a great luck to see these beautiful birds conducting their complicated dances, which is an incredible sight of courtship, strong social bonding, territorial performance, and pure energy; yet, the task of capturing this dance in a musical form is beyond the capabilities of many musicians in the world. Incredible is an understatement for what Fox accomplishes here. He does not simply provide us with an interpretation; rather, he provides us with an experience. Fox employs cascading arpeggios to mimic the lightness of the cranes as they dance through the forest. These fluttering notes dance upon the keys with the same delicacy and precision with which the actual animals move through the air. The manner in which these complex arpeggios weave their way through the piece demonstrates Fox’s musical storytelling at its best. In a single piece, he has turned technique into theater. This is an amazing display of Fox’s technical skill, this is a piece that does not tell the story of the wild but draws the listener out into it.
With triumphant liberation flowing within its notes, “Free as a Bird” opens up to a tune that features a warm electric piano sound that flows seamlessly into a crisp grand piano, all set against the backdrop of an ambient background with light brushing. Performing a work like this one, with such rich emotional and mythic legacy, coming out of a song demo by John Lennon, a tragic figure who left us too soon and whose work was completed by his group members following his death, calls for a unique sense of reverence, daring, and creativity. All three qualities are abundant in Fox. Captivated as he is by the haunting sadness of Lennon’s original melodic theme, Fox worked with the legend himself, David Lanz, to arrange this masterpiece in the most exciting way conceivable. It is in the bridge that their talent truly shows its best, because the real brilliance of musical innovation emerges here: through changing the time signature, they manage to infuse the heart of this song with a bright and completely new energy. While other musicians might have tried to keep it conventional, Fox and Lanz dare to change the harmonic rhythm, thus giving the melody room to express itself in a free and elegant way. This is simply a wonderful example of artistic maturity when reverence for the tradition meets innovative arrangement, and it proves yet again how beautifully Fox can make even the greatest masterpiece of music fly again.
Concluding the journey through the album, “Seabirds’ Lament” is introduced via a softly played piano theme coupled with a bass note from the bowed double bass and an ambience delay effect. When it comes to artistry, it takes a very unique individual to stay so connected to the environment around him that a simple spark of nature can change the path of his creation forever. As Fox was creating music in a hotel room, completely engrossed in the sound of his keyboard, he encountered an unplanned muse in the form of a Hooded Crow that landed right on top of his roof. And as the bird seemed to pause momentarily, listening to the music, Fox captured the very moment in a photograph with the silhouette of the bird against the backdrop of the endless sea and sky. But while looking at that photograph, Fox felt an overwhelming realization strike him as he played a happy, upbeat song without realizing that there is a harsh reality completely divorced from his creation: the silent extinction of birds near the sea shores. While other less talented musicians may simply ignore their concerns for the sake of keeping an upbeat and light mood going, it was Fox who had the artistic honesty and environmental awareness typical of a real master of music. With an unprecedented boldness, he decided to get rid of this light-hearted structure of the song and give it a new life in a dark and soulful minor key. Thus, thanks to his changes in the harmonic part of the song, he managed to endow it with the significance that was appropriate to this situation, making it sound like a necessary warning regarding the ill state of the Earth, and he used this song to close out the record.
“Painting in the Dark” is not only an outstanding record, but also a victorious statement of pure compositional talent by Toledo, Ohio-based composer and pianist RH Fox. With ease and naturalness, Fox mixes contemporary piano playing with complex fusion elements, atmospheric soundscapes, and cinematic storytelling, creating a unique sound universe that seems to be eternal and innovative at the same time. Co-produced by world-renowned artists David Lanz and Kristin Amarie, and with the participation of Grammy Award winner Charlie Bisharat (violin), Painting in the Dark combines classical precision, melodic impressionism, and colorful global influences, making the listening experience incredibly deep and soulful.
Right from the start, the album hooks you in and pulls you under its spell. The highly evocative “Follow the Creek” features the poignant sounds of Charlie Bisharat’s expressive and mournful violin, along with Fox’s introspective piano playing. Going way beyond what you would expect from solo piano playing, “The Mystic” has a mesmerizing rhythmic element in the form of hand drums, as well as a mystifying voice texture by Kristin Amarie and the exotic sounds of a bouzouki. “Painting in the Dark,” the outstanding title track of the album, brings in synth textures from Fox in a very captivating manner. Finally, his rendition of the Beatles song “Free as a Bird” adds an element of familiarity to this originally composed collection of songs.
Fans of world-class contemporary pianists such as Ludovico Einaudi, Jan Uve, and Fiona Joy Hawkins are sure to find the next love of their lives in RH Fox. Painting in the Dark is a great addition to the contemporary piano, New Age, cinematic, and atmospheric music compilations around the globe, but its real strength is in the way it appeals to anyone’s ear. Before listening to the album, I should say that I am not a fan of instrumental classical music in general, but RH Fox managed to create something special, so special, so human, and so filled with the story that it was impossible not to fall into the music. It was a unique feeling to know the background of those songs. Now consider me officially converted; I am a classical girlie from now on, and if RH Fox is bringing us the future of contemporary piano music, then I will happily follow him!
Stream the “Painting In The Dark” album on Spotify
Follow RH Fox here and on their socials: Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, YouTube
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