Matthew Bourne - This Is Not For You. (2024) [Hi-Res]

Matthew Bourne is difficult to pin down. You may have preconceptions of an artist who first came to prominence as a virtuosic pianist and winner of the Perrier Jazz Award in 2001. Witnessing Bourne at the piano is a visceral thrill with the instrument becoming an extension of his body. It’s unclear where one ends and the other begins as he climbs inside a grand to pluck, strum and bend the notes to his will. There’s a rare physicality in his performances that sets him apart – unexpected in the world of concert halls and Steinways. And yet, that’s not Bourne. He balances those moments of tension and drama with space and an innate sense of melody, as adept at using silence as he is with the notes he plays. But that’s not Bourne either. This is Not for You. was born from an off-hand comment by one of Matthew Bourne’s confidants. His instruction, “Do not delete,” provided Bourne with a commission of sorts, an ideal restriction to work within. Everything on the album was given a chance to shine in the studio, to be worked on amongst the freedom of that no deletion diktat - new inspirations now lie beside deep-mined remembrances. Cello and Dulcitone have been added sparingly for colour, but this is Bourne playing for his own enjoyment. Intimate. Reserved even. The real Matthew Bourne? “I could just sit down and do other stuff… that sounds really arrogant but I don’t mean it in that way. This is the healing bit of the process for me - that’s why I sit at the piano. It’s a place of trust. It’s always there, and will always be there.”