John Palmer presents an album of new compositions exploring the process of breath and breathing. Each instrument, whether bass flute, accordion, voice, trombone, is pushed to the limit of its capabilities, while blending in seamlessly with its electronic counterpart, in order to express the humanity and spirituality of breath. He has created an extraordinarily varied, colourful and sensitive world which invites and rewards our deep listening. Recorded in Stuttgart and St Petersbourg, the compositions feature virtuoso instrumentalists Antje Langkafel (bass flute on Inwards), Sergej Tchirkov (accordion on Drang), Lydia Kucht (soprano on Transient), Yseult Jost and Domingos Costa (piano on Fado) and Slovenian trombonist extraordinaire Vinko Globokar (Transfiguration) whose theatrical performances are legendary. Here, Palmer creates the perfect vehicle for Globokar’s eccentricity and humour, while tackling the sombre subject of the Balkan conflict. Drang is a unique tour-de-force for Tchirkov’s accordion which literally comes alive by emulating human breathing using the air sounds from within the instrument.
Credits:
John Palmer (electronics), Antje Langkafel (bass flute), Sergej Tchirkov (accordion), Lydia Kucht (soprano), Vinko Globokar (trombone), Yseult Jost and Domingos Costa (piano).
Recorded at the University of Music, Stuttgart – Max Shagaev’s studio in St. Petersburg – The Electronic Studio of the Technical University, Berlin – Audio Engineering by John Palmer, Max Shagaev, Folkmar Hein.
TRACK LIST:
1. INWARDS (14:52)
for bass flute and electronics
2. DRANG (9:43)
for accordion
3. TRANSIENT (9:10)
for soprano, piano and electronics
4. TRANSFIGURATION (16:50)
for trombone and electronics
3. FADO (10:57)
for 4-hands piano
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