In seven original compositions for solo piano as well as an interpretation of the standard “Moon River”, Boris Valentinitsch unfurls a richly colored palette of emotional “notes” and largely lyrical, meditative moods. These compositional sketches serve as the starting point of a journey on which the music invariably emerges in the moment of its playing. The constant openness to improvisational freedom and emotional candor imbues the music with a very particular and enthralling contrast.
The playing often seems fragile, at times almost pensive, its harmonic wealth finding beauty in sustained notes, overlapping chords and rests. The consciously audible ‚breathing‘ of the pedal is a not insignificant component of the sound. At the same time, the imaginative improvisation of eruptive lines of melody, harmonic shifts and subtle turns, together with a vehement touch, bring a raw and unpolished element to the music. The freedom to seek out the transient beauty of the moment makes Notes a very personal and intimate album.