“Gottschalk pays tribute to all these different sources by weaving jazz, gospel, Renaissance canzonas, baroque polyphony, and Jewish cantorial singing into his musical tapestry. He also reveals his inner-Rutter more than once, as his melodies take on a pop-like simplicity, strings start cuddling the tunes, and woodwinds burble gently in the background. In the end, I confess I’m more engaged by the cleverness of the music than I am touched or uplifted by its emotional depth.”
