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CD
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IF 1077CD
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French pianist Vanessa Wagner collects solo piano studies of graceful minimalism and rare finesse for new album Mirrored. Quickly following March 2022's Study of the Invisible album (IF 1070CD/LP), Vanessa Wagner returns with a new collection of work that paints in many colors. The application of shadow in Mirrored evokes haunting poignancy; the care and delicateness of its negative space leaves room for undulating melodic motifs to ebb and flow; its bold splashes of luminescence are striking and rich. And while the album collates re-interpretations of works by composers as varied as Philip Glass, Nico Muhly, Moondog, Leo Ferré, and Camille Pepin, the potency and effect of the collection as a whole reflects only Vanessa Wagner and the extraordinary breadth of her abilities. Performing solo, exposed to timbre, tempo and clarity, many of the pieces here -- such as "Sea Horses" by (Vanessa's one-time mentor) Moondog or Philip Glass's "Etude 4" -- demand virtuosic abilities as a performer and interpreter. But in Vanessa Wagner's hands, they are not only made her own, but made mesmeric and magical by the sensitivity of her touch. Also features works composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Melaine Dalibert, and Sylvain Chauveau.
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LP
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IF 1077LP
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LP version. French pianist Vanessa Wagner collects solo piano studies of graceful minimalism and rare finesse for new album Mirrored. Quickly following March 2022's Study of the Invisible album (IF 1070CD/LP), Vanessa Wagner returns with a new collection of work that paints in many colors. The application of shadow in Mirrored evokes haunting poignancy; the care and delicateness of its negative space leaves room for undulating melodic motifs to ebb and flow; its bold splashes of luminescence are striking and rich. And while the album collates re-interpretations of works by composers as varied as Philip Glass, Nico Muhly, Moondog, Leo Ferré, and Camille Pepin, the potency and effect of the collection as a whole reflects only Vanessa Wagner and the extraordinary breadth of her abilities. Performing solo, exposed to timbre, tempo and clarity, many of the pieces here -- such as "Sea Horses" by (Vanessa's one-time mentor) Moondog or Philip Glass's "Etude 4" -- demand virtuosic abilities as a performer and interpreter. But in Vanessa Wagner's hands, they are not only made her own, but made mesmeric and magical by the sensitivity of her touch. Also features works composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Melaine Dalibert, and Sylvain Chauveau.
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2LP
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IF 1070LP
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Double LP version. Includes three bonus tracks. French pianist Vanessa Wagner continues her exploration of the minimalist repertoire by introducing her audience to pieces, many rare or unpublished, by acclaimed composers, young pianists, and genre-bending personalities from the ambient and electronic scenes. In France or even Europe, Vanessa Wagner is practically the only "classical" pianist to tackle this contemporary and timeless repertoire. Study of The Invisible features interpretations of pieces by a spectrum of composers that includes Suzanne Ciani, Harold Budd, David Lang, Bryce Dessner, and Phillip Glass. Described by Le Monde as "the most delightfully singular pianist of her generation," and by Libération as "one of the most curious and captivating pianists on the French scene," Vanessa Wagner is able to balance parallel careers. As well as performing a classic solo, chamber and concert repertoire on stages all over the world, through her output on InFiné she is continuously exploring paths that are equally personal, but perhaps more intimate. Study of the Invisible sees her breaking new ground in a musical tradition, in a way that no other "classical" pianist in France and Europe currently does. Often described as "minimalist", it's a musical tradition that covers a multitude of singular styles and musical personalities and that spans generations. Study of the Invisible seeks out the mysterious world that lives behind the score, the imperceptible links that unite these silences and harmonies, but also the inner resources that this music can bring to light. With this record and this journey, whose apparent melancholy ultimately proves to be powerfully comforting, Vanessa Wagner continues to give a new scale to a music which proves to be above all radiant and luminous. Also features compositions by Brian Eno, Roger Eno, Julia Wolfe, Caroline Shaw, Moondog, Timo Andres, Peter Garland, Nico Muhly, Ezio Bosso, and Melaine Dalibert. Double-LP version includes three bonus tracks featuring compositions by Melaine Dalibert, Sylvain Chauveau, and Ryuichi Sakamoto.
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CD
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IF 1070CD
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French pianist Vanessa Wagner continues her exploration of the minimalist repertoire by introducing her audience to pieces, many rare or unpublished, by acclaimed composers, young pianists, and genre-bending personalities from the ambient and electronic scenes. In France or even Europe, Vanessa Wagner is practically the only "classical" pianist to tackle this contemporary and timeless repertoire. Study of The Invisible features interpretations of pieces by a spectrum of composers that includes Suzanne Ciani, Harold Budd, David Lang, Bryce Dessner, and Phillip Glass. Described by Le Monde as "the most delightfully singular pianist of her generation," and by Libération as "one of the most curious and captivating pianists on the French scene," Vanessa Wagner is able to balance parallel careers. As well as performing a classic solo, chamber and concert repertoire on stages all over the world, through her output on InFiné she is continuously exploring paths that are equally personal, but perhaps more intimate. Study of the Invisible sees her breaking new ground in a musical tradition, in a way that no other "classical" pianist in France and Europe currently does. Often described as "minimalist", it's a musical tradition that covers a multitude of singular styles and musical personalities and that spans generations. Study of the Invisible seeks out the mysterious world that lives behind the score, the imperceptible links that unite these silences and harmonies, but also the inner resources that this music can bring to light. With this record and this journey, whose apparent melancholy ultimately proves to be powerfully comforting, Vanessa Wagner continues to give a new scale to a music which proves to be above all radiant and luminous. Also features compositions by Brian Eno, Roger Eno, Julia Wolfe, Caroline Shaw, Moondog, Timo Andres, Peter Garland, Nico Muhly, Ezio Bosso, and Melaine Dalibert.
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2LP
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IF 1050LP
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Double LP version. Includes a bonus track: Philip Glass's "Etude n°5". Inland is Vanessa Wagner's continuation of the exploration of the minimalist composers register to complete the solo continuum of the Statea released in 2016 with the Mexican producer Murcof. Inland highlights a set of pieces, mostly rare or unavailable to date (Moondog, Nico Muhly, William Susman, Bryce Dessner, Gavin Bryars...) and some other well known (Philip Glass, Wim Mertens, Michael Nyman) that Vanessa Wagner performs with her classic pianist background and velvet sound. The title of the album refers to John Cage's Imaginary Landscape (1939), one of the first works to use electronic devices. Making more with less, the album turns long harmonies into multicolored prisms, miniature detailed embroidery, sighs and breaths, syncopated or restrained chants. The choice of works and their sequencing was dreamed up as a sort of storytelling. Between familiar melodies and unknown rarities, the pianist dug deep to find previously unreleased pieces. Within the cornucopia of Wagner's career, Inland stands as a hitherto unknown intimate and dream-like space. The album is both the fruit of her maturity and a new temporality that she is now exploring -- a secret conversation between her spirituality and the deep connection she maintains with nature, the elements, and living matter. The Inland journey begins with the vision of iconoclastic Moondog, who claudicates over a modest ritornello, and continues with French composer Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch's "Louella", like a volatile caress. On the way, you come across familiar figures like Philip Glass, and rediscover Michael Nyman's "The Heart Asks Pleasure First", as Wagner's fingers transfigure the cult piece, rendering it with delicate sensuality. At the origin of the source, German composer Hans Otte plays entrancing magic tricks with the fluids that spring henceforth; on the horizon, the inescapable Meredith Monk draws you into her hypnotic circles; elsewhere, Bryce Dessner is takes you on a dream-filled odyssey with characters who guide you to boundless territories, and William Susman breaks down boundaries under the harmonic mists and mute rhythms of "Quiet Rhythms". At the end, you find a blank canvas of quiet nature, a clearing in which Latvian composer Peteris Vasks invites you to listen to the suspended silences. When the album is over, the spirit of Inland continues to stir inside the listener's mind, in hazy reverie, clouds of nostalgia emanate from Vanessa Wagner's piano.
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LP
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IF 2077LP
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Inland Versions is the electronic extension of the latest album Inland (IF 1050CD/LP) by the French pianist Vanessa Wagner. Five reworks by GAS, Suzanne Ciani, Vladislav Delay, Nadia Struiwigh, and Marc Melia. On the original album, released in May of 2019, Vanessa Wagner performed, with excellence, solo piano rare pieces from the minimalist repertoire (Moondog, Philip Glass, Wim Mertens...) to featured works from younger composers from the contemporary music scene (Bryce Dessner, Nico Mulhly). On Inland Versions, the pianist has invited established artists from the current experimental scene to transform her unique interpretations into equally fascinating electronic explorations.
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CD
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IF 1050CD
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Inland is Vanessa Wagner's continuation of the exploration of the minimalist composers register to complete the solo continuum of the Statea released in 2016 with the Mexican producer Murcof. Inland highlights a set of pieces, mostly rare or unavailable to date (Moondog, Nico Muhly, William Susman, Bryce Dessner, Gavin Bryars...) and some other well known (Philip Glass, Wim Mertens, Michael Nyman) that Vanessa Wagner performs with her classic pianist background and velvet sound. The title of the album refers to John Cage's Imaginary Landscape (1939), one of the first works to use electronic devices. Making more with less, the album turns long harmonies into multicolored prisms, miniature detailed embroidery, sighs and breaths, syncopated or restrained chants. The choice of works and their sequencing was dreamed up as a sort of storytelling. Between familiar melodies and unknown rarities, the pianist dug deep to find previously unreleased pieces. Within the cornucopia of Wagner's career, Inland stands as a hitherto unknown intimate and dream-like space. The album is both the fruit of her maturity and a new temporality that she is now exploring -- a secret conversation between her spirituality and the deep connection she maintains with nature, the elements, and living matter. The Inland journey begins with the vision of iconoclastic Moondog, who claudicates over a modest ritornello, and continues with French composer Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch's "Louella", like a volatile caress. On the way, you come across familiar figures like Philip Glass, and rediscover Michael Nyman's "The Heart Asks Pleasure First", as Wagner's fingers transfigure the cult piece, rendering it with delicate sensuality. At the origin of the source, German composer Hans Otte plays entrancing magic tricks with the fluids that spring henceforth; on the horizon, the inescapable Meredith Monk draws you into her hypnotic circles; elsewhere, Bryce Dessner is takes you on a dream-filled odyssey with characters who guide you to boundless territories, and William Susman breaks down boundaries under the harmonic mists and mute rhythms of "Quiet Rhythms". At the end, you find a blank canvas of quiet nature, a clearing in which Latvian composer Peteris Vasks invites you to listen to the suspended silences. When the album is over, the spirit of Inland continues to stir inside the listener's mind, in hazy reverie, clouds of nostalgia emanate from Vanessa Wagner's piano.
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