The Path

Reed Mathis vividly recalls being haunted by a scene in the film ‘Immortal Beloved’ where Gary Oldman portrays Beethoven sitting at a piano playing a quiet, loss of innocence melody as he comes to terms with experiencing hearing loss. The melody played is the second movement of Piano Sonata No.8 best known as “Pathétique,” Mathis’ personal favorite melody in Beethoven’s vast repertoire. “The Path” by Electric Beethoven uses “Pathétique” as their muse as Mathis envisions a present-times scenario of the 1994 scene reimagined taking place at a country church with the organ reverberating across the lake while frogs chirp as the sun sets. The modern instrumentation and driving beat set the stage for feelings of hope and redemption that are pristinely mixed by Rob Eaton, guitarist of Dark Star Orchestra who has also produced several albums for the iconic jazz guitarist, Pat Metheny.