Melodiya is an outstanding collaborative album by Hans Christian and Thomas Barquee, two classically-trained artists originally from Germany. Both have roots in western pop music and have established themselves as iconic producers in the world of yoga, chant and world music. Both have worked with a wide variety of artists in a broad range of genres. Hans was nominated for a Grammy® award for his excellent 2023 release with the late David Darling, Ocean Dreaming Ocean. Melodiya is a collection of eight cinematic pieces that serve as soundtracks for imaginary stories. Smooth, melodic, and very beautiful, five of the pieces feature Barquee on piano and keyboards, and all eight feature Christian playing an always-fascinating combination of instruments that include cello, lapsteel guitar, sitara, psaltery, fretless bass, percussion, keyboards and programming.

Melodiya begins with "The Gift" - peaceful contentment set to music. Smooth and dreamy with just a touch of bittersweetness, I think this is one of those pieces that would make the difference in a soundtrack in whether or not the tears would flow. It's that poignant, and it doesn't matter if the tears express sadness or joy. What a great start to the album! "The Promise" is also quietly moving with piano, cello, shimmering background strings, and a strong beat in some of the passages. Hans really tugs at the heartstrings with his soulful cello. The middle of the piece becomes much more dramatic and intense with layers of cello sounds as well as percussion, piano and background strings. This piece really tells a story, and the listener gets to decide what it's about. "Persistance of Time" has an easy but catchy rhythm that powers the keyboard and cello melody along with some additional keyboard sounds. Hans' cello is so heartfelt and beautiful in this one! "Opalescence" is just Hans playing cello, fretless bass, percussion, sitara and a variety of keyboard sounds/orchestration. The sitara gives the piece a very exotic feel while the various percussion instruments propel it forward. "Your Heart Remains" is a love song, but it's not necessarily about two people. Unabashedly sentimental and nostalgic, lapsteel guitar, piano and keyboards, along with fretless bass and keyboard orchestration combine to tell this story. "That One Thing" also includes the lapsteel guitar, bass, keyboards and percussion. The lapsteel gives it a kind of Americana feeling - perhaps befitting a Western saga. There is also some beautiful and heartfelt cello near the end - spacious and very graceful. The last two tracks are Hans Christian only, but they sound like a full band. "Do We Remember" includes cello, bass, lapsteel, percussion, sitara and strings. Both exotic and grounded, it's a fascinating story with some rather unusual instrumentation that suits the music perfectly. The last track, "An Echo's Soul," is darker and more ambient, combining many different sounds to tell its story and bringing this fantastic album to a close.

I would expect Melodiya to be on many "Best Of" lists for 2024 and to bring home many awards. It is a unique project by two incredibly gifted musicians, and I give it both thumbs up!
The album is available to stream or download from Apple Music/iTunes, as a download or a CD from Bandcamp, and from many streaming platforms including Spotify and Pandora. CDs can also be purchased from Hans' website. Very highly recommended!!!