Klaus Paier, Asja Valcic & Gerald Preinfalk - Fractal Beauty (2021) [Official Digital Download]

The world of music has raved for more than a decade over Klaus Paier, an accordionist from Austria, and Asja Valcic, a cellist from Croatia. The German trade periodical “Jazzthing” praised “how timelessly and genre-transcending the duo makes music while taking jazz as its basis. Listening to one another, communicating, stitching anew onto the other’s ideas.” Applause came from “The Guardian” for the “gripping interplay,” and “Paris Move” saw “an invitation for the listener to cross boundaries.” For their SKIP debut album entitled “Fractal Beauty” the two have now expanded their phonic cosmos by adding Gerald Preinfalk, a woodwind player from Vienna whose CV includes work with the Vienna Art Orchestra as well as the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Bass clarinet, soprano sax and clarinet provide meticulously coordinated colorings that nestle perfectly on the sounds of accordion and cello.

In terms of its dynamics, virtuosity and fragility, the kaleidoscope of audiophonics devised on “Fractal Beauty” is a bold blueprint on the path to perfection in sound that offers a balance of freedom and form, complex music and compelling melodies, suspense and release, and above all the purest of poetry. In the process, all three contribute on an equal footing as composers to take listeners along on a breathless journey from Valcic’s drivingly arabesque “Trismo” to Paier’s buoyantly lighthearted “Major Waltz” and on to Preinfalk’s multifaceted “3 Views”. Highlighted with wonderful cello voicings by Asja Valcic, “Into the Spring” meanders between melancholy classic and the levity of swing while featuring Klaus Paier on bandoneon. On “Mosaic”, it’s the broad spectrum of tones that Gerald Preinfalk elicits from the bass clarinet and the contrasting ebb and flow from Paier’s accordion that impress: a thrilling joie de vivre, though the silent moments equally take your breath away. “Remember the Tango”, another composition by Paier, evolves from a delicate melody into a high- spirited dance that allows the virtuoso talent these 3 protagonists display to shine at its brightest. The enchanting title track “Fractal Beauty” is situated in the classical cosmos and breathes calmness and serenity. Not a bit less poetic is Gerald Preinfalk’s “Not Larsson”, a contrast to the scurrying instruments and chasing lines portrayed in “Mosaic” above. On “Just Wonderful”, the audiophonic accents are set once again by the bandoneon. At the end, “Gaia’s Prayer” proffers the concluding masterpiece by Asja Valcic to simply melt away on. A grand musical array that effortlessly combines jazz, contemporary and classical music with today’s world music. Forceful and yet so fragile in its components, played to sheet music yet with plenty of room for first-rate improvisation and sparkling soloist highlights, in this trio unbridled passion meets subtlety in an unparalleled fashion, a feast of emotions for the inquisitive listener.

TRACKLIST

01. Klaus Paier, Asja Valcic & Gerald Preinfalk - Trismo
02. Klaus Paier, Asja Valcic & Gerald Preinfalk - Main Street
03. Klaus Paier, Asja Valcic & Gerald Preinfalk - Major Waltz
04. Klaus Paier, Asja Valcic & Gerald Preinfalk - Into the Spring
05. Klaus Paier, Asja Valcic & Gerald Preinfalk - 3 Views
06. Klaus Paier, Asja Valcic & Gerald Preinfalk - Remember the Tango
07. Klaus Paier, Asja Valcic & Gerald Preinfalk - Fractal Beauty
08. Klaus Paier, Asja Valcic & Gerald Preinfalk - Not Larsson
09. Klaus Paier, Asja Valcic & Gerald Preinfalk - Mosaic
10. Klaus Paier, Asja Valcic & Gerald Preinfalk - Geogema
11. Klaus Paier, Asja Valcic & Gerald Preinfalk - Just Wonderful
12. Klaus Paier, Asja Valcic & Gerald Preinfalk - Gaia's Prayer



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