Reception and CD Promotion -

Winter Solstice

CD

editions wandelweiser records

ewr 2116

Release date: December 19th 2021

Winter Solstice is an album of solo piano music by Andreja Andric, performed in a first time recording by Anita Tomasevich. The title comes from the darkest time of the year after which daylight progressively gets longer, a time of darkness and renewal. The first part of the album is December, a collection of six works each exploring changes in piano tone color within a single minor chord in all the possible rearrangements of notes: first piece in e minor, second in e flat minor, third in d minor etc. Also the permutations are ordered in different ways from piece to piece, so in the first one the changes are the slowest, the next one faster etc, until the circle closes with the last one where the changes are again slow but in the opposite direction. Through their simple and austere, but infinitely varied flow, the works offer a new look on traditional triadic chords, and also seek to create new meditative sound spaces for our time and the future. The second part of the album is Meditations II, a cycle of music works intended to evoke the intimate essence of nature and to serve as an aid  to meditation for the listeners and performers alike. The performer is guided by a collection of short texts which describe the music in minute detail, give ample space for creative interpretation and insist on being fully in the present moment. The work, here recorded as an extended piece for two pianos, takes a textual score as means of exploring tone color and time. The album celebrates the theme of renewal by taking the listener to a journey from finding new colors and meanings in traditional chords to reshaping of musical space between performance and composition, and possibly further towards new ways of listening and experiencing music. 

Andreja Andric (born 1973) is a Serbian composer and computer programmer, living in Aarhus in Denmark. He enjoys playful exploration of mathematical processes and chance and uses computer programming as key means of artistic expression. With a primary interest in composition and performance for and with his networked laptop/smartphone ensemble, he is also active in the areas of instrumental and vocal music, video and software art. His work has been performed on festivals such as World Music Days 2019 in Tallinn, Estonia, NYCEMF (New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival 2021), and Festival Futura in Crest, France (2018). Holds a PhD in Music Informatics from the State University of Milan, Italy. 

Anita Tomasevich is a freelance pianist, born and raised in Belgrade and residing in Cyprus. She has wide musical interests, from Scarlatti and Bach, to early romantic music of Schubert and Chopin, Russian music of the 19th century and the contemporary repertoire. Her performances are characterized by strong artistry, individualism, subtle sensibility for composer's style and an impressive stage presence. She is a laureate of international competitions, including first prize on Città di Tortona competition in Italy. She studied at the Music Academy in Novi Sad (Bmus, Mmus) and Royal Conservatoire in Den Hague, and with renowned teachers such as Jegor Chugayev, Svetlana Bogino, Yelena Richter, Lazar Berman, Gyorgy Sandor, and others. In 2006 her career as a concert pianist was stopped by a spinal injury. After almost ten years of recovery, Anita started performing again, both solo and chamber music with excellent reviews. As a chamber musician, Anita forms a duo with the Romanian violinist, residing in Cyprus, Sorin Alexandru Horlea. Anita is the founder and Artistic Director of the Avaton International Music Festival, which received international recognition.

http://andrejaandric.com/

https://anitatomasevich.com/