Tania Giannouli's fifth album for Rattle is undoubtedly her most important to date, a beautifully conceived collection of piano improvisations ranging from pastoral and lyrical to highly searching and desolate pieces. SOLO is an artistically focused, bold, personal and deeply musical album highlighting Tania's extraordinary talent as an accomplished and highly intuitive pianist.
Giannouli is an acclaimed pianist, composer, improviser and bandleader. Her imaginative, highly original, genre-defying music has been described as lyrical, eclectic, and stirring. Classically trained and inspired by many traditions and influences, her compositions and interdisciplinary projects encompass a variety of styles that reflect a boundless fusion of contemporary global reality.
Since her debut album, FOREST STORIES (2012), a series of impressively concentrated duets with Portuguese wind player Paulo Chagas, Tania has enjoyed a series of successes. TRANSCENDENCE (2015), unanimously acclaimed by critics as one of the most important Greek albums of the decade, is a collaboration with a larger ensemble of musicians. REWA (2018), a series of duets with taonga pūoro expert Rob Thorne, was a critical sensation and received more rave reviews than any other album in the Rattle catalogue. Her last album, IN FADING LIGHT (2020), which featured an unusual trio combination of oud (Kyriakos Tapakis) and trumpet (Andreas Polyzogopoulos), was another highlight, a skilful fusion of classical, jazz and world music influences, highlighted as one of the best jazz releases of 2020.
Commenting on her new album of solo improvisation, Giannoulis says, "Playing solo is the most liberating thing for me. Being alone with the instrument gives me an incredible feeling of freedom. There is nothing more challenging than a solo concert. Alone on stage, you are forced to be truthful, not to hide or disguise anything, and to allow yourself to be vulnerable. If you're honest, you find strength. SOLO is a very personal journey, a story that is told without filters and that I hope listeners will recognise, identify with and embrace with their heads and hearts."