Contemporary cellist Nick Squires releases his second album on Silva Classics. With Imitation Games: Volume 2, Squires explores new arrangements for film and TV soundtrack themes, concert hall music and pop hits. The criteria for tracklisting the music for this album was to choose music that lends itself to translating the emotional core of the music idea and inspires the velvety rich and complex sound of the cello. It featuring music from Craig Armstrong, Billy Eilish, Alafur Arnalds, Hans Zimmer, Ludwig Goransson...

I thoroughly enjoyed Nick Squires first album in this series, Imitation Games, and was really looking forward to hearing what he would deliver with this second volume.

Opening with Craig Armstrong’s bitter-sweet 'Far from the Madding Crowd', the album moves on to lesser known ‘Bear Story II', a contemplative number by Luke Howard. Billy Eilish’s ‘When The Party’s Over’ lends itself to baroque treatment. The pace picks up with the plucky ‘Con La Brisa’, Ludwig Goransson’s theme from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, to be followed by Ludovico Einaudi’s neoclassical ‘Primavera’. Miriam Stockley’s folk infused track, ‘Perfect Day' from Peter Rabbit and Friends defines the album’s golden ratio and brings it into calmer waters with Henry Jackman’s ‘Safe Now’ from Captain Phillips. Imitation Games Volume 2 finishes with Ludwig Goransson’s majestic, multilayered ‘Can You hear The Music’ from Oppenheimer.

It's yet another wonderfully relaxing album, which showcases not only Squires' masterful playing, but also the diverse range of the cello.

Track listing:

01. Opening (from "Far From the Madding Crowd") - Craig Armstrong
02. Bear Story II - Luke Howard
03. When the Party's Over - Billie Eilish
04. Ambre - Nils Frahm
05. Main Theme (from "Assassin's Creed Origins") - Sarah Schachner
06. Con La Brisa (from "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever") - Foudeqush, Ludwig Goransson
07. Primavera - Ludovico Einaudi
08. Walk to School (from "Tales from the Loop") - Paul Leonard-Morgan, Philip Glass.
09. Can You Feel My Heart - Bring Me The Horizon
10. Another Love - Tom Odell
11. Final Ascent (from "No Time to Die") - Hans Zimmer
12. Perfect Day (from "Peter Rabbit and Friends") - Miriam Stockley
13. Safe Now (from "Captain Phillips") - Henry Jackman
14. Bethany's Theme (from "Broadchurch") - Alafur Arnalds
15. To The Stars (from "Ad Astra") - Max Richter
16. And Just Like That (from "A Single Man") - Abel Korzeniowski
17. Can You Hear The Music (from "Oppenheimer") - Ludwig Goransson

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Darren Rea