As an avid listener of improvised and experimental music, I find satisfaction in “discovering” anything new [to me]. Be it a new artist, musical concept, unusual instrumental configurations, etc. Continual discovery is what attracts us to these types of arts. Antiworld I gratifies my desire to hear something new in two ways: first, it’s my introduction to Polish pianist and composer Kamil Piotrowicz; secondly, I’ve never listened to a trio comprised of two pianos and saxophone.
As to the latter, Kamil describes Antiworlds I as the first of a series of compositions for unique ensembles. Unique, indeed. What’s more are the collaborators Kamil called upon to join him in the inaugural Antiworlds composition: Danish saxophonist Lotte Anker, and her countryman Jakob Anderskov, also on piano. Both Anker and Anderskov teach at Copenhagen’s Rytmisk Musikkonservatorium (RMC), where Piotrowicz was a student prior to conceiving Antiworld.
Antiworld I is a wondrously mature concept and performance from such a young composer, and Piotrowicz fits right in with his veteran collaborators. Recorded live at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival in 2019, Antiworld I is a single performance broken up into 10 tracks that is best listened to in one sitting. Throughout the performance, Piotrowicz and Anderskov are constant companions. Their duel pianism plots a course through unknown waters, yet they so complement (and antagonize) one another that it’s impossible to tell who’s who. At times, they simultaneously occupy similar timbral or rhythmic ranges, whereas later, one will counter with an opposing musical statement (like a rumbling bass note against shimmering right-handed pianissimo) that crystallizes into a new idea/direction. Unfettered by ego or, to my ear, predetermined roles, the two pianos seem to steer the shifting moods and dynamics. In fact, there are times when I could conceive the performance as a very satisfying piano duo.
Given how snug the musical mesh is, woven by the two pianos, Lotte Anker asserts herself as an indispensable member of the ensemble. Her voice seems to float atop the pianos and enriches the music with emotion and passion. Anker’s phrasing vacillates between long, lamenting tones, piercing feedback-like shrills, and rapid-fire staccato lines. Sometimes, she falls back, allowing the two pianos to chart the course. Her timing is impeccable, and the effect is magnified when she chooses to reenter. Towards the end of the performance, the piece climaxes as the keys put up a thunderous wall, and Anker’s soprano cries out in anguish. Utterly moving.
Given that this is my entry to the musicality of Kamil Piotrowicz, I find myself anxious to “discover” the next of the Antiworlds. Piotrowicz’s compositional vision for “specific and unique ensembles” is beautifully manifested with sterling input from Anker and Anderskov on Antiworld I. Highly recommended.
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