Intermezzo
Intermezzois cut out for the soundtrack of some art house movie.  Strictly instrumental and mood-oriented, these pieces range from melodramatic, as in "Prelude/The Black Cottage", to eerily alien, as in the title track, to abstractly ambient, as in "Largo/Unharvested I".  Given the instrumental lineup of synthesizer, piano and cello, as well as the overriding tempo, definitely not allegro, you can hardly beatIntermezzoas background music for deep contemplation.Intermezzois overall an interesting and ambitious project.  --Option, May/June 1996A very noteworthy classical/ambient fusion recording, the sound ofIntermezzocan be best described as elusive and haunting. This suite for cello and electronics was composed, arranged and produced by Keller and has truly broken new musical ground with influences from the sounds of late Romantic classical music, 20th century Impressionism and 1970's electronics.  The music covers a surprising range of moods, textures and rhythms, with Keller never at a loss to extrapolate and conjure daring musical textures and coloration.  Engineered by Howard Johnston - Kronos Quartet, George Winston - Keller's arsenal of computer keyboards are often times tastefully enhanced by the melodious cello playing of Eric Stein. Whether your druthers be the stark, subterranean instrumentals of Bowie and Eno - circa Low - or the passionate modernism of Debussy and Schoenberg, there's bound to be something on this fascinating album for you to feast your ears on.  --Time and a Word, Spring 1996Hearts of Space fans will love this new indie release. Keller's swirling clouds of electronic tones share the spotlight with Eric Stein's stately cello lines.  The synthesizer choir and strings lean more toward symphonic composition than ambient techno, and the cello work has the same seriousness and lack of repetition.  The tempo rises past andante only in one piece at the center of the eight-movement arch ("Blood of the Raven").  Highlight: the filter-swept scraping drones in the background.  --Keyboard, April 1996In this follow-up to his popularThe Mask of Memory, Keller turns more cerebral and introspective by scoring a midnight symphony of eight movements for cello and electronic sound design. While the song title "Blood of the Raven" may scare off shy listeners, the theme here is more shamanic than demonic; the music is an instrumental portrait of personal change, where the "Chamber Doors" of "The Black Cottage" give access to "The Space Between" realities where brave sonic explorers can experience "Transfiguration."  Mystical, dark of mood, and deliciously spacious, this modern moonlit sonata offers up some positively gorgeous cello solos accompanied by surprisingly pretty synth textures; so when you're feeling gothic, forget the black lipstick and play this instead.  --New Age Retailer, May/June 1996It has been almost 10 years since Kevin Keller last wrote music for the cello, but based on this CD he hasn't lost his edge. Almost all of the eight compositions feature the cello juxtaposed with exotic and otherworldly electronic harmonies.  For the most part the songs proceed at a slow pace, allowing the listener to soak up each notational nuance and subtle sound, and the combination of the electronically generated effects with the warm, organic melodies of the cello create a superbly enchanting listening experience.  Keller's previous work, The Mask Of Memory, was one of the finest electronic discs released in the past few years, and this album is a fitting follow-up.  --Asterism, Spring 1996Kevin Keller uses synthesizers, cello, and piano to create an original ambient music onIntermezzo.  From melancholy cello adagios to faster paced synthesizer pieces, the music perfectly mixes the styling of western classical music with the modern instrumentation of ambient space music.  At timesIntermezzois reminiscent of the more orchestrated pieces of Ray Lynch, although in my opinion Intermezzo defines its own style and improves upon Lynch's orchestral efforts.  The album flows well and is consistently interesting and beautiful.  This release is even more cohesive than Keller's last releaseThe Mask Of Memory, and will please both ambient and new age audiences if they get a chance to hear it.  I liked all of the tracks, but would especially recommend "The Black Cottage", "Unharvested II", and "Blood of the Raven."  --New Age Voice, May 1996