After four albums with various ensembles, Tania Giannouli attempts something new and different but just as demanding and difficult, if not harder; to record seventy minutes of concentrated, improvised solo piano music in her own uniquely artistic way.
This means that we will hear sounds created in her voice, not only from the keys but from the inner parts of the piano, plucked, muted, "tweaked" and "prepared" piano strings, as we hear clearly in the seven-minute opening piece "Transportal", or in "Metal snake". Giannouli's techniques vary even within one piece, where focused melodic ideas will merge with sections of avant-garde improvisation or poignant lyricism, such as in "Intone".
The twenty-four tracks range in length from 0:44 to 7:04, while several are barely a few minutes. However, short or long, they sound impressive (recorded at the Athens Concert Hall by George Kariotis and Alexandros Aretaios and mixed by G. Kariotis at Sierra Studios), and convey many different influences, from "classical" to the free association improvisations of Keith Jarrett. And there are those with traditional starting points, such as "Spiral" for example, which bring a unique colour and pulse to the album.
The lyrical pieces, such as "Prelude", are equally impressive, but there are "difficult" ones too, such as "Hidden", where you may find yourself in a momentary limbo, but difficult too in the sense that the very length of this work requires a level of concentration that could place demands on some listeners. But the sheer competence, strength, technique, suggestiveness and compositional exuberance of Giannouli's artistry are sure to keep you captivated.