NILS FRAHM & ANNE MULLER - 7 FINGERS

Succeeding his 'Wintermusik' and 'The Bells' compositions for solo piano, Nils Frahms takes a wonderful detour into string heavy symphonies and glitch rhythms alongside the estimable talent of Wolf-Ferrari-Ensemble's Anne Müller. Frahms's instrument of choice is largely subservient to the strings on much of the album, instead it's his compositional talents which are in focus, writing for and with Müller, and her profound knowledge of string arrangements. They clearly relish the possibilities of this collaboration, fashioning dramatic, cinematic suites like the pastoral sweep of 'Because This Must Be', and the gracefully solemn 'Let My Key Be C' and the almost pop-tidy arrative of 'Long Enough' with outstanding success. When his keys do come into play they're entwined with precisely clipped glitch rhythms, as with the quicksilver step of '7Fingers' and the finely tuned pitches of 'Duktus', all strongly reminiscent of Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto's 'Insen'. Again, each of these tracks are elevated through Müller's strings, whether bursting in with shocking velocities on 'Journey For Traveller' or floating in at the crucial moment of Reminds To Teeth', they're right at the emotional core of this album, carrying out a highly sophisticated and articulate dialogue with Frahms's keys. Beautiful music.

Teeth

7fingers

Let My Key Be C

Show Your Teeth

Because This Must Be / Augmentation

Journey For A Traveller

Reminds To Teeth

Duktus

Long Enough

Aussenseiter (Bonus Track)