in the garden documents Anaïs Maviel’s performative and compositional investigations, at a turning point in her creative process. In this live performance recorded at Obey Convention (K’jipuktuk | Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2018) we hear voice, kamele n’goni, lyra, surdo, singing bowl, and piano – played all in one set. In this rare setting, Maviel offers a condensed presentation of a process that ranges from embodied spatialization to instrumental layered textures, intertwining with the emergence of language. 

“Tying it all together was Maviel's voice, her control of which stunned from the first note.” The performance “received a standing ovation” (Ryan McNutt for Exclaim).

Vital Weekly "There is some undefinable magic in her performance. Her music has some archaic quality as if it is welling up from the deep subconscious. She performs with an impressive voice that is very flexible and far-reaching. (...) It is incredible how she sings and plays at the same time. But it is above the unique and deep human quality that impresses."

Sybaritic Singer "Maviel’s unique musical aesthetic is one that places a focus on growth, reflection, and above all else, listening. Her instrumental choices as well as her adept musicianship make for a musical experience that is both cultural and humanistic. in the garden is a microcosm of various influences used together to create a stunning work of virtuosity and originality that will engage you from the very first note."

Hatena Blog
Opening track “bells” clears space to become a conductor for intention to emanate, “i am you” acknowledges both separation and oneness we sometimes struggle to integrate in our relations. “in the garden” refers to past and future representations of self: if we cultivate identities in the soil of our ancestors, when stepping out of the garden we embrace the opacity of otherness. Thus “listening” is the next movement, pointing at familiar yet unexpected sounds such as the drone created by bowed metallic rods attaching both skins of the surdo. “bells from afar {métadire}” acknowledges all sounds heard in the Fort Massey Church filled with individuals and intersecting paths while Maviel’s ongoing ensemble composition research – Métadire – finds its way on the - almost background - piano, pointing at future developments abstracting language from music, once more.



This recording is a ripple from Maviel’s first solo release hOULe (Gold Bolus, 2015) [review by Keir Neuringer] which approaches vocal performance from its relation to percussion (surdo) and bell (singing bowl), tracing back the essential elements of music as pre-verb. in the garden expands that pulsing expression from ancient vibratory principles, flourishing in contemporary narrative and harmonic languages with sharp aesthetics.