Healer of Hearts
Danny Wright
2003 / Real Music
89 minutes
Review by Kathy Parsons
Healer of Hearts is a double-CD collection of The Best of The Black and White Series and The Best of Original Compositions. Pianist Danny Wright made new recordings of previously-released material from a career that began in 1986, and assembled a very impressive collection of his gentle, evocative pieces. I’m really glad that the originals and covers are on different CDs, as I vastly prefer Wright’s original compositions. I’m sure many people will disagree with me, as The Black and White series has been very popular, but, as a piano teacher, many of these are songs that are played all the time - “Pachelbel’s Canon in D,” “Over the Rainbow,” “Memory,” “Brian’s Song,” etc. Don’t get me wrong - these are all great songs, and Danny Wright arranges and plays them to perfection - it’s just that I hear them so often that it’s not really a treat (one of the hazards of my job, I suppose!). Wright’s piano touch is so delicate that, under his hands, it’s hard to imagine that the piano is classified as a percussion instrument. His composing style is usually very light, conveying warmth and a sense of peace and serenity. Some of the pieces are solo piano, and some are more orchestrated - mostly with synth strings. Some of the titles on the “Original” disc are “Wings of Hope,” “Awakening,” “Phantasy,” and “Guardian Angel.” “Song for Lea” makes me smile because of the tremendous control it takes to do a long glissando, end on precisely the correct note, and then continue the run without a pause - I’m impressed! Healer of Hearts is a very inviting and enjoyable collection, and provides a soothing musical massage for body and soul.
March 10, 2003