On modes

Description

For his third solo album with Alpha, the "polyglot" of keyboards Anthony Romaniuk returns to the piano and explores the seven modes: derived from the major scale, the foundation of ancient Greek music but now present in folk, jazz, and beyond, they express subtle nuances of character and feeling…. Starting from John Adams' Phrygian Gates, Romaniuk has designed a program that includes music by Pärt, Ligeti, Radiohead, and Björk, as well as his own original compositions, arrangements of traditional Catalan and English/Scottish music, and improvisations. Continuing his quest for a personal and original sound, Romaniuk uses two pianos, including a vertical grand piano by David Klavins (from Nils Frahm's collection) which, thanks to its massive soundboard and 4-meter-long bass strings, overwhelms the listener. The addition of various analog and digital audio effects, combined with innovative recording techniques, immerses us in a unique sound landscape, akin to that of a sound installation.