A Different Forest＜完全生産限定盤＞

ポスト・クラシカル・シーンを代表するドイツのピアニスト/作曲家=ハウシュカソニー・クラシカル移籍第一弾アルバム『A DifferentForest』
ソニー・クラシカルからの第一弾となるアルバム『ADifferent Forest』は、自然を通じて人生の意義を問いかける作品となっており、プリペアド・ピアノではなく、全曲スタンダードなピアノを使用。より自然でありのままの音を追求したオリジナル曲全13曲が並ぶ。

Following triumphs that included the imaginative experiments of 2017's What If and his scores for the films Adrift and The Current War, Hauschka's Volker Bertelmann makes his Sony Classical debut with A Different Forest, an album that exemplifies his talent at creating a sense of place with his music. Instead of the prepared piano that is usually at the heart of most Hauschka albums, Bertelmann uses pure piano to reflect the eternal beauty of the woods. However, A Different Forest is very much a piece with the rest of his work, echoing the searching feel of What If, the tender melodies of Ferndorf, and the musical landscapes of Abandoned City. Bertelmann begins the album with "Hike," a piece whose winding, contemplative melody feels organic and inviting; much like a walk in the woods, its ebb and flow lets listeners give themselves over to the rhythms of nature. In Bertelmann's hands, these rhythms are ever-changing. True to its name, "Urban Forest" is linear, percussive, and modern-feeling; "Hands in the Anthill" rises and falls on itself in intricate patterns. A Different Forest's moods are just as complex, spanning the effortless grace of "Dew and Spiderwebs" and "Skating Through the Woods," the sunny "Daybreak Over Covent Garden," and more somber moments such as "Talking to My Father" and "Woodworkers." By the time A Different Forest ends with "Another Hike," it's clear that this is a serene, thought-provoking album that grows richer with each listen. ~ Heather Phares

繊細ながらも精悍な音像がとても印象的だ。ポスト・クラシカルの旗手にして近年は映画音楽を多数手がけ活躍しているハウシュカの待望の新作オリジナル・アルバムが到着。ソニー・クラシカル移籍後初となる本作はピアノのみで描かれる13の森の情景。Back to the basicとでも言わんばかりのインスピレーションに満ちた小品集で、彼の幼少期の思い出や幻想的な風景を描写した音楽に仕立てられている。プリペアド・ピアノやエレクトロニクスを使ってきた過去の作風からは一線を画すが、これこそが彼の素直な創意の発露なのかと興味深く、そして心地よく聴かせてもらった。
intoxicate (C)板谷祐輝