Insomnia

The album

Insomnia – an hour of music to be enjoyed with or without a classical music background, alone or as a couple. Whether you’re happy or blue, Insomnia is your companion for sleepless nights. Thrilling moods, white landscapes, inexplicable beauty in sound. The sound moves from an impressionistic Alexander Skrjabin, to a menacing Arvo Pärt and a desperate Jean Sibelius, and on to the Nordic minimalism of the «White Landscapes» by Peteris Vasks. The commissioned work for Insomnia, «Last Smoke» by Margareta Ferek Petric and Christoph Cech’s jazz ballad, full of saxophone improvisations, let us find the peace of a secular morning prayer. This album will not be a sleeping aid, but it wants to touch the different elements and shadows of this very special and personal atmosphere.

About me

As a classically trained pianist, I had the honor of playing on some of the most important concert stages in the world, among them Carnegie Hall, the Salle Gaveau in Paris, the Festspielhaus of Baden-Baden, the Auditorio National Madrid, in all major venues of Vienna, etc. You can find a detailed curriculum vitae on my website, but this album is not about my awards, performances, or how often I have been in the press. My interests have been very diverse since my youth. In the last few years I have had the opportunity to look at the classical music industry from many angles via a variety of projects I’ve been leading. While accumulating experience, I have increasingly sought to go my own way. Many attempts to facilitate access to classical music to new audiences result in watered-down versions, where the music is selected for easy consumption. In addition, contemporary music has lost touch with a wider audience and also acceptance in circles with a classical background is difficult. With «Insomnia» I want to show that with careful design of the program it is possible to compile an extremely exciting album, filled with challenging composers and music of the 20th and 21st century that doesn’t necessarily have to be enjoyed through musical knowledge , but that touches at a deep emotional level.

About us

This project would not have been possible without the unique people joining me with all their idealism, their art and their passion:

• Klemens Sander – Baritone (J. Sibelius songs)
• Laurenz Sartena – Soprano (R.Hahn «L’heure exquise»)
• Clemens Salesny – Saxophone (Cech – «Wordless»)
• Margareta Ferek Petric – Composer («Last Smoke» –Auftragswerk)
• Christoph Cech – Jazz composer («Wordless»)
• Georg Burdicek – Sound engineer at «tonzauber»
• Alex Gelehrter – Videographer at «urbanfriendsrepublik»

What happened so far

• one year of planning, many sleepless nights looking for just the right works, conversations with musicians and composers, trying to find tentative answers to the question of «what happens to us in the moments before falling asleep?»
• 2 days of recording at «tonzauber» (the Studio in the Konzerthaus Vienna)
• Video with the history of Insomnia (trip to Bucharest, planning, shooting day, post production)

With your support we can finance

• one more day of audio recording
• mastering and post-production
• booklet (graphic, photos, texts, translation)
• CD pressing (when sufficient resources also LP)
• marketing for CD and release