A gorgeous new EP release from Tetsuya Hori has landed and it's got the power to sweep you up and get you floating along with the emotional and driving tonalites of this lush and textured record.
The Triadic for Cello and Pianl Four Hands record is full-bodied and absolutely alluring with incredibly performed instrumentation that lets you swim through the pieces like a body of water that becomes ever changing. There are parts that let you stare up at the stars in the night sky in perfect calmness but there are sections that build tension and become engulfing.
beautiful piano pieces along with colorful and edgy cello pieces that can trigger memories to pop into your head or get your imagination running wild. It can take hold of you emotionally and make you feel.
It's music like this that gives us meaning at times. Or I should say, it lets us remember the meaning we have at times that we feel like there is less of that going around.
Why does this happen? Because we need complete focus and attention to feel things we may not want to. Or to remember things we had since forgotten but know we shouldn't have.
It's music like this that sways us and puts us in our place in the best way possible.
It tugs at the heart strings without a single word. Just the way the notes and performance push and pull you.
It is, in essence, in tune with each of us deep inside and it's likely we don't know it until we listen.
This was moving. And I'm sure it will move you as well. No matter which way it does. It will move you.
And it feels amazing to let it do its thing. To be one with the notes and the soundscapes. The emotions and the heart and soul of it all.
With such an impactful release, we wanted to have a chat with Tetsuya Hori about this release and where it may have actually come from.
RAG: Okay so let's start with The Triadic Cello and Piano Four Hands EP. This record absolutely beautifully performed and boasted quite a full-bodied feel! Where did this record come from? This record was released on the label called M.M. Recordings under the auspices of The Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Ghent (KASK). M.M.Recordings is located in Berlin, Germany. RAG: So how did this all begin for you and your fellow performers? One day, pianist Lukas Huisman approached me about a new piece. He said he wanted a piece for the combination of the two units he belongs to. That unit was a piano duo membered Lukas Huisman and Ivo Delaere, and a cello+ piano duo membered Eline Duerinck and Lukas Houseman. We were luckily able to get the support of The Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Ghent, then that's how this project started. RAG: What inspires you to write a piece? As I mentioned earlier, when pianist Lukas Huisman approached me, he wanted the music to tell a story, including various combinations of cello and two piano players. Those combinations are the title of each track, but the 2nd piano player (Ivo) appears for the first time on the 4th track. You can't know just by listening to the record, but in fact he quietly appears behind the 1st piano player (Lukas) and plays standing behind the 1st player with his arms outstretched. It is a romantic or somehow sensual moment when the arms and bodies of the two players are intimately intertwined. Then all the members finally perform together In the 5th track. The cello plays various noises in an atmospheric way to add depth to the entire track. It's like gazing out at the sea in the morning mist, and it inspired the designer Arnaud Braibant to create the artwork for this EP. RAG: I'm hearing some great styles on this record. Who are some of your biggest musical influences? My composing style consists of intricately intertwined pieces of music that I have encountered so far. Whether it's classical music, contemporary music, pop or funk, the music of various artists in various genres influence my music. So I can't imagine which artist in which genre influenced me the most. Also, I tend to be more influenced by the informations I get from my eyes than from my ears. RAG: What are you doing when you're NOT working on music? I love my work as a composer so much therefore I think about composing almost all the time. My occupation takes me around the world, but I always look for interesting things to use as ideas form my composition. In particular, I often convert visual information into sounds, so I actively visit to art museums or galleries and look at the scenery. I would like to call these my hobbies, but I just look for something that can be reduced to sounds of my composition after all. So, after all, I love my occupation. RAG: Would you say live performances are a big part of what you do? I used to perform my own compositions often before, but lately I've been concentrating mostly on composing. It is certainly important and a pleasure to have more people listen to my music, but it seems to me that it is more important to compose more music for me. RAG: This EP feels like a big undertaking, is there any advice you'd give to other up and coming musicians out there? I am very satisfied with this EP. The three musicians (Eline, Lukas, Ivo) who performed this piece were very supportive, ambitious and great as a team throughout the recording as well. Actually, during the recording, due to the COVID-lockdown, I had to participate only remotely, so it was very difficult giving directions, judging the takes etc, but it was a lot of fun working with them at all. My advice to other up and coming artists is maybe to keep going on own chosen path. Both to complete a music piece and to continue as an artist. For that we have to believe in ourselves. I think this is quite difficult, but it's impossible to keep going if we can’t believe in ourselves no matter what! RAG: What can your fans expect from you in the near future? I've been preparing musical materials for the next several releases for a long time.There are a lot of crazy ideas for example, as much as I'd like to say here, but I can't come out the details yet. And it looks like it will take some more time for releases. I would appreciate it if you could wait patiently… RAG: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music? There are almost countless numbers of music in this world, and it is impossible to listen to all of them even if it takes a lifetime. But when we try to get to know as much music as possible, we discover new and unexpected experiences. Please keep that adventurous spirit going. By the way, if you are a musician reading this interview and would like to collaborate with me, please contact me. :-)