Canadian violinist Christopher Whitley returns with Almost As Soft As Silence, a masterful solo album of improvised violin works recorded at St. Stephen’s Church in Belvedere, California. Performing on the 1700 “Taft” Stradivari, generously provided by the Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank, Whitley presents fifteen distinct miniatures that range from fleeting 18-second sketches to meditative four-minute explorations, each demonstrating his decades-long dedication to spontaneous composition and nuanced expression.
The album, captured in a single, unedited take, emphasizes clarity, concision, and melodic interplay, with each piece acting as an intuitive étude in its own right. Tracks such as “i soliloquy [i],” “lake train,” and “rhapsody [redux]” showcase Whitley’s capacity to balance delicate filigrees, extended tones, and gestural improvisation, maintaining cohesion across the album’s approximately thirty-minute runtime. Whitley blends influences from classical, contemporary, and jazz traditions, consistently highlighting the linear and contrapuntal possibilities of the violin.
A graduate of McGill University and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Whitley has performed internationally, appearing at venues like Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Massey Hall. He has collaborated with luminaries such as Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw, Charlotte Day Wilson, and Grammy-winning ensembles Eighth Blackbird and Roomful of Teeth. Almost As Soft As Silence builds on Whitley’s prior solo and collaborative works, including his acclaimed Describe Yourself, and continues his exploration of acoustic improvisation, electronic processing, and multimedia collaborations.
Whitley’s artistry is defined by both technical mastery and a deep curiosity for musical possibilities, transforming the violin into a vessel for storytelling, reflection, and sonic exploration. This album is a concentrated portrait of his singular voice in contemporary violin performance.