Hauschka: Ferndorf

Label: Fat Cat

German composer Volker Bertelmann (aka Hauschka) got our attention early last year when he released the sprightly-but-elegant Room To Expand, his first for FatCat Records. With his marvelous new Ferndorf, Hauschka takes a huge step forward, marrying string arrangements to his own prepared piano, creating an album of exquisite richness, with melodies that are at once evocative and urgent. Like prepared-piano pioneer John Cage, Hauschka makes use of the altered instrument as both a percussive and melodic element, often simultaneously. While the rhythmic underpinnings of his compositions nod to Steve Reich’s minimalism, the melodies reference traditional European folksong, creating a collection of compositions both wholly new and eminently listenable. With Ferndorf, Hauschka proves himself one of the most promising new figures in modern composition – a must for fans of Eluvium, Goldmund, or a Max Richter. (Jackie)