stas
Piotr is one of the few remaining composers about whom you can say 'pushing the boundaries' and really mean it. The best thing about all this is that even if it is 'experimental', it is still first and foremost 'music'. Bravo!
Favorite track: Martin is Crying.
Polish composer Piotr Kurek returns to Mondoj with 'Peach Blossom', an album centered around sung and synthesised vocal harmonies, showcasing the composer’s gentle, uncanny approach to vocal treatments and arrangements. Pairing the vocals of Komi Togbonou and Martin Weigel (both actors of Münchner Kammerspiele) and spoken words by Chinese performer Xiangjie with MIDI and live recordings of various instruments like marimba, flutes, reeds as well as various percussion instruments, the Warsaw-based composer highlights the unique tonal and textural potential of the human voice. The title track perhaps illustrates this approach most strikingly, interweaving wordless layers of vocals that ebb and flow with natural grace. “Breathing” follows with a more abrupt, almost jazz-tinged atmosphere, whereas “Ds / The Moss Beneath'' is more orchestral, almost classical in its approach. The centerpiece of the album is the 12-minute opus “Martin Is Crying”, where the interplay between the vocal layers and glockenspiel resembles classic early renaissance music, while adding more range and harmony to the playful tone.
'Peach Blossom' is another theater-adjacent release following Kurek's acclaimed collection 'A Sacrifice Shall Be Made / All The Wicked Scenes' (2020). The album features music from a theatre performance at Münchner Kammerspiele in October 2021 titled ‘某种类似于我的地洞:心室片段 Heart Chamber Fragments’ (directed by Tian Gebing / Paper Tiger Theatre), as well as music composed following the completion of this project. ‘Peach Blossom’ is named after a fable written in the year 421 by Chinese poet Tao Yuanming which depicts life in harmony in perfect isolation from the outside world, unaware of it for centuries. Kurek’s aural interpretation builds on it even further, showcasing his incredible world-building ability, creating fascinating, absorbing music from the simplest of ingredients.
Text by Adam Badí Donoval
credits
released March 31, 2023
Music composed, performed and produced by Piotr Kurek.
Vocals by Komi Togbonou (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and Martin Weigel (1, 2, 3). Spoken words by Xiangjie (6).
Recorded at Münchner Kammerspiele by Piotr Kurek and Ulrich Treutwein. Spoken words recorded by Hua Dong.
Mastered by Stephan Mathieu at Schwebung Mastering.
Cover artwork by Mel Keane (Frog of Earth).
Back cover photo by Ng Chor Guan.
Design and layout by Paulina Ufnal & Janek Ufnal.
"Peach Blossom" video directed by Sebastian Mihăilescu, edited by Marc Solomon.
A recording that touches something ancient in us and brings a shift to places not yet discovered. It's hard to describe in any sensible way something that definitely mixes the spirit of Palestrina with the legacy of minimalism, reductionism and improvisation, although that's not really important here. A deeply emotional thing that doesn't talk about humanity, but speaks directly to it. jiristepan
Such a wonderfully engaging and atmosepheric set. Lots of space, air, and this timbrous, intimate sensitivity. With a shining heart at its centre. Easily one of this year's finest. Thanks orbonk
Working with just voice, piano and handmade cassette loops, the Chicago sound artist navigates heavy themes through a minimalist lens. Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 2, 2021
The aptly named “Ambient Echoes” features electroacoustic songs that gradually build from steady drones to breathtaking melodies. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 4, 2023
Multimedia artist Jolanda Moletta creates a gorgeous ambient tribute to her female ancestors solely from her own vocals. Bandcamp New & Notable Jul 12, 2022