Release Date: 28.09.2018
„When Fabiana Striffler takes bow in hand, a magical process begins.“
(Greg Cohen)
In Classical music the violin is one of the representative instruments, whereas in jazz and pop it appears much more rarely. Fabiana Striffler at first also played in Classical ensembles and orchestras, before she made a name for herself in the jazz-scene. Funded by the Yehudi Menuhin Association from 2013 to 2018, Striffler has been poaching through various styles with the Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra for more than a year now. In addition, the 30-year-old Berliner-by-choice has been regularly playing side-by-side with Greg Cohen (Tom Waits, John Zorn, et al.) for years. Furthermore she has worked with John Hollenbeck and Kurt Rosenwinkel, Kwabs and Awa Ly, Sarah Connor and the afro-beat band Polyversal Souls. In 2016 Striffler was engaged by the British pop band Travis for their album Everything At Once. In 2017 the violinist released a duo-CD with the Argentinian guitarist Quique Sinesi, about which Jazzpodium wrote: “A mutual breath, a sparkling musical treasure, which captivates from the first sound on.
Now Fabiana Striffler presents Sweet And So Solitary, the debut album of her trio. As the composer and producer, she pulls all the strings herself here. At the same time, the artistic individuality of singer Friederike Merz and pianist Johannes von Ballestrem is essential for Striffler and she gives them creative space accordingly. Reciprocal inspiration brings about unconventional sounds and exciting interactions. Like Striffler, Merz and Ballestrem are deeply rooted in Classical music, but have left their marks mostly in the jazz scene in the past years. Friede Merz in the choir of Max Andrejewski’s Hütte for example and Ballestrem alongside Anna-Lena Schnabel and with his own band.
Sweet And So Solitary smartly and cunningly overrides style boundaries. The compositions and approaches of playing are all different and reveal influences of modern Classical music, jazz, song and contemporary art song aesthetic. In their improvisations, the young trio sounds very aware and concentrated and they all share the joy in individual sounds. For instance, to produce mysterious sounds, faintly reminiscent of gamelan, pianist Johannes von Ballestrem let small magnets bounce around on the piano strings, which can be heard on “Hemme nicht deiner Seele Flug” [Don’t Hinder Your Souls Flight] and “Raumschiff über Nusa Penida” [The Spaceship Over Nusa Penida]. Here Fabiana Striffler plays with techniques creating floating sounds that rarely appear in western music tradition. The arrangement for “Abend” [Evening] consists of ten ceramic bowls; in other places mandolin, electric guitar and synthesizers were used. “Although we have worked hard on perfecting our playing all our lives, I deliberately wanted to incorporate the un-academic side of each individual.”
The singing is an equally important facet of Striffler’s cosmos of sound. At the center stands the idea of conveying emotions less through words, but rather through musical expression. “The voice is perhaps the most direct instrument and I wanted to use it in its primal form,” Striffler says. She thus had not so much words but rather melismas in mind for singer Friederike Merz. Known for her impressive, precisely controlled strong voice power, Merz is predestined to master the colors and shades, unforeseeable twists and onomatopoeic capers. In the dynamic, at times jubilant piece “Eigensinnig” [Self-Willed], which Striffler had originally conceived as a parody of flamenco, the vocals and instruments are bursting with joy of playing. Here suspense and wit form a decisive symbiosis.
Besides suggestive pieces, there are also those with poetic texts. The subtle “Hemme nicht deiner Seele Flug” is based on the philosophical poetry of Sören Kierkegaard. In “Tollheit einer Vollmondnacht” [Madness of a Full Moon Night] Merz sings a poem by Diego L. Monachelli with a spectacular range of two and a half octaves. Other lyrics were penned by Striffler. Although she has been composing continuously for about ten years, she wrote lyrics to her music rather sporadically at first. For about three years now however, she’s been delving into it deeply. “Instrumental music is open and offers the listener various possibilities of interpretation. Words are more definite, specify the topic and leave less room for the listener’s own interpretation. Working out this difference is very exciting to me.” Consequently Striffler herself sings her most recent piece with lyrics, the intimate song “Black & Purple”, with a clear, touching and variable voice.
Fabiana Striffler is polyglot in a literal as well as in a metaphorical sense. Before going to school she grew up with her parents and her two-year-older sister in the rural region of Liguria and in Tuscany. In addition to the two languages of her childhood, she later learned French, English and Spanish. To this day, she loves “the focus, the challenge, the incredible expressiveness and clarity inherent in Classical music.” Then again she cares to defy the separation of Classical and improvised music and defy musical hierarchies. She masterfully changes between fine Classical tone, elegant bowing and robust fiddling. Ever since beginning her studies at the Hanns Eisler College of Music and the University of Arts, she has been living in Berlin. Despite her childhood and youth in nature, she does not want to do without the city and its many impulses and inspiring fellow artists anymore.
Like all good albums, Sweet And So Solitary unfolds increasingly more facets and continually stronger magic with each time you listen again. What might still sound surprising and individualistic the first time will quickly reveal remarkable depth, clarity and intensity. Fabiana Striffler, Friederike Merz and Johannes von Ballestrem are innovative musical storytellers with a courageous creative drive. Their inspired expressive power touches mind and heart alike.
“Her songs are eccentric and profound, minimalistic and equally melodramatic.” (JazzThing, Wolf Kampmann)
Release Date: 28.09.2018
EAN/UPC: 705304466926
TT Catalogue No: 4669
FABIANA STRIFFLER – Sweet And So Solitary
Line up
Fabiana Striffler: violin,mandolin,vocals
Friederike Merz: vocals, synth
Jonnes von Ballestrem: piano, guitar
Tracklist:
- Intro 1:05
- Milchstrasse 0:44
- Morgenstern 1:37
- Sennerglück 3:28
- Tollheit einer Vollmondnacht 2:41
- Eigensinnig 6:03
- Hemme nicht Deiner Seele Flug 4:26
- Die schlafende Leichtigkeit des Seins 5:35
- Raumschiff über Nusa Penida 2:39
- Sweet and So Solitary 4:46
- Ein Mensch 5:04
- Abend 1:09
- Outro 1:21
- Black and Purple (Bonustrack) 3:31
Credits:
All compositions by Fabiana Striffler
All lyrics by Fabiana Striffler exept 5 by Diego L. Monachelli,
7 by Sören Kierkegaard and 10 by Rosa Mercedes
Published by Traumton Musikverlag
Recorded February 2016 by Marco Birkner at Studio H2 Berlin
Mixed by Maximilian Trieder at Hansa Studios Berlin
Mastered by Wolfgang Loos at Traumton Studios, Berlin
Produced by Fabiana Striffler
To order:
CDs: Dream Recordstore
Downloads: Traumton Downloadshop