I had high
hopes for Bernward Koch's new album, ‘Silent Star’,
after thoroughly enjoying the magnificent ‘Montagnola’
album (released by Erdenklang in 2008). I am pleased
to report I was not to be disappointed.
‘Silent Star’
is Bernward's fifth release for Real Music. The
quality of the recording is, as is synonymous with
Real Music, top-notch. The album, running to almost
an hour in duration, is dedicated to the 19th.
century pioneer and visionary aviator Otto
Lilienthal, the legendary figure behind the
development of the hand-glider. If Lilienthal got
his kicks from soaring effortlessly through the sky
as gracefully as migrating birds, he would surely
also give a passing wave of approval to this
beautiful collection of mainly piano pieces... music
that lifts the spirits and takes the listener on
their own special journey.
The CD opens
with the majestic ‘The New Day’, destined to be a
Koch-classic from the very first listen! Like a
bird's unfurling wings, the listener embarks on a
voyage of discovery. There is a quieter middle
section, before the journey continues to its
conclusion.
‘Softly
Awakening’, as the title would suggest, is a very
gentle piece- slow tempo- but very sublime. It has
the Koch trademark sound with which his fans will
instantly identify. There is an ethereal quality to
Bernward's compositions, and none more so than this
one!
‘Le Petit
Jardin’ is one of my favourite cuts on the entire
CD. Extremely melodic and a joy from beginning to
end! If the title conjures up an image of a gentle,
meandering walk through a summer-inspired garden,
then the tender, heart-felt melody will merely
confirm your initial impression.
‘She’ is
another delicate piano piece, as soft as Spring's
blossom, or maybe the Summer breeze passing by
Lilienthal as he takes to the air.
Track five,
‘Distant Memories’ is my top-pick track, and it is
an unusual choice for me as it is the only piece on
the entire CD with the absence of piano / keyboard
(save for a sprinkling of notes towards the end)!
It is the sort of composition the Greek maestro Vangleis might create, and I have already mentally
penned the remixed version, which involves the
introduction of drums half-way through! It's a
fascinating piece, with the accordion taking the lead. I absolutely
adore it! Maybe I can just add my own drumming to
the piece as the composition takes a more dramatic
turn, or perhaps Bernward will have some
late-evening fun in the recording studio! Anyway,
it's over to Bernward to fill in the reader with
additional compositional details pertaining to this
terrific track: "I did not want it to sound like a
real accordion. Quite accidentally, I found a preset
sound on my Korg Trinity Plus 'Master Fisa'. I
improvised with that at the same time I composed the
track. It is enriched with more instruments like Yamaha
MO6 (pad) and DX-711D (harp), Roland Alpha Juno 2
(pipe) and D-50 (pad), Korg EX8000 (pad) and
MicroKorg (strings), VST-plugins, Atmosphere and
Kompakt sampler (both as special pad) and, at the
end, a Grand Piano (Yamaha CP-50)."
Touchingly,
the track is in memory of Bernward's father (1923 -
1973) who played the accordion.
‘Silent
Star’ is the title track, and is made for
relaxation. Glance at the album's cover whilst
listening to this inspiring track, and drift away
into your dreams.
The tempo
increases with ‘Café Noir’. Highly melodic and
instantly appealing this arpeggio track reminds me of the sound of
Italian pianist Ludovico Einaudi. The piece is
mainly piano, with two beautiful sections combining
piano with stringed instruments, including cello- a match made in heaven. It's
another outstanding track for me on this album which
is packed with highlights. Bernward explains,
"Café Noir is the name of a beautiful café in my
area, in a tiny but beautiful village. It's a
rebuilt barn with a little stage for minor arts. I
have often played at this place." Bernward used a
Yamaha CP-50 piano, along with Yamaha MO6 and Roland
D-50 as pad, Yamaha DX-7IID Bass, Korg Trinity
pan-pad, Kontakt organ, Halion one cello and Roland
Juno2 cembalo.
‘Vision
Emerging’ has quite a dramatic opening; perhaps it
is Lilienthal's sudden realisation that his idea is
set to become reality. The track develops into
another sublime piece.
‘Harmony
Found’ is quite an up-beat, feel-good piece of music
with a jolly melody and a playful piano. It features
a catchy melody, and you might well find yourself
whistling along on this part of the journey.
Track ten is
entitled ‘The Colour of Spring’. The music suggests
nature awakening after its Winter slumber, and new
life emerging. Bernward's gift for creating melodic
compositions once again shines through with this
lovely piece.
‘Anthem’ is
another inspiring track, and I can imagine this
making a super soundtrack for established or
aspiring film-makers. The middle section of the
piece is utterly beautiful- very simple, but therein
lies its appeal.
The
intriguingly titled ‘Ice Flowers’ opens with a
shudder! It has a mysterious, almost haunting,
ghost-like quality to it. Film-makers again take
note! Perhaps some of that ice melts away as the
piece develops. Bernward states that the track title
just came to him upon completing the recording of
this piece, and indeed ‘Ice Flowers’ was nearly
chosen as the album's name by Real Music.
‘Remember
Blue’, the album's penultimate track, is certainly
different! With a distinctive beat, this one has a
light-jazz feel to it. Listen to it with a glass of
your favourite tipple as the sun sets and the moon
rises in the night sky.
‘Shades of
Rain’ returns us to more familiar territory, and
closes the album perfectly with a lovely, reflective
piece.
Bernward
Koch has excelled himself once more. He has created
a wonderful album of beautifully melodic piano and
keyboard music which lifts the spirits as much as
Lilienthal's wings lifted him into the air. It is
worth noting that the German composer plays all the
instruments featured on this CD; Bernward is truly a
multi-instrumentalist.
I thoroughly
enjoyed this album, and give it my highest
recommendation. Fans of inspiring, relaxing and
original piano music will find much of appeal on
Bernward's latest flight of magic.
S.C. |