Virtual String Quintet
Recorded and mixed at Pilpil Music Studios, Gorliz
Musical portraits for string quintet
Josemari Hernandez (writing as Pilpil Music)
Reviewed by: Rob Pennock
Reviewed: September 2026
CD No:
Duration: Running time: 63:13
Like many other modern composers Josemari Hernandez composes accessible, largely tonal, as opposed to confrontational, music.
He specialises in concept albums and here he invites the listener to go on a journey. This includes ‘The Penguin That Didn’t Want to Live in the North, a whimsical story about individuality, curiosity and choosing one’s own path’ and ‘Gelle-Klara Revisited, a return to a remembered person whose image has changed with time’. Where one has to ask if a piece of music can describe anything of such nebulous complexity.
That aside, the album opens with an ungainly promenade that might have come from Babar the Elephant or Carnival of the Animals, before becoming more reflective. Blue room is more upbeat, with an arresting bass, which Color purple takes up after a reflective opening. From then on we have a series of soundscapes, often of a reflective nature, which never pall. Leading to the relative calm of Silent Frame, with its eerie slides and completely unresolved ending.
His chromatic harmonic language is rather treble heavy and on occasion it would have been nice to hear more varied richer textures. Nevertheless, the composer has a very distinctive voice, which makes you want to hear more.
There are no performers, rather Hernandez uses virtual instruments. This is a pity, the interpretive input of real musicians playing real instruments would have brought added dimensions to the music.
In terms of the sound, the masters are in 24/48, which isn’t high enough to realistically reproduce even virtual instruments. The image is also bass light, narrow and lacks clarity. This is a pity. The music merits better sound. Even so, you can still hear what the composer is saying, so it isn’t deal breaker.
The album is also only available as download only from Bandcamp.
Pilpil Music: https://pilpilmusic.bandcamp.com/album/faces-places-album