Mortiz Fasbender, Rabbits Review

Mortiz Fasbender is the pianist and composer Friederike Bernhardt’s new alias that focuses on solo piano pieces with discreetly interwoven electronics. During the scholarship, a single, including a video shoot and her new EP entitled Rabbits, was released on Sony Classical / XXIM. Bernhardt’s sound combines neoclassical writing and electroacoustics, which she explores by presenting her solo works and works in theatre music and electronic-classical avant-garde. Moritz Fasbender recorded on the piano in her children’s room in Wittenberg and Leipzig’s studio. For the field recordings, she recorded sounds from her garden for 1-2 hours every day; everything flowed into the record, whether it was the wind or her father’s gardening. Max Dax initially reviewed and discussed her work, but after two months, she was given an additional sparring partner: 380 Grad, a management agency from Berlin, Sven Hasenjäger. He connected her with all the necessary institutions and ensured that her pieces were heard. For the piece “Aride Alas,” a video was shot in the Villa Hasenholz in Leipzig, giving Moritz Fasbender an imposing stage for her multi-layered, wavering, at once silent and later rearing up play. Rabbits presents four songs that push the boundaries of classical and electronic music to new sonic mesas.

Rabbits covers a wide range of sonics, moods, and colors (both acoustically and electronically). Mortiz Fasbender has an expressive touch at the piano, and her use of layers pulls you into her musical world. “PMR CODE” has effective use of a rhythmic pedal tone that flows through the building sections. The many layers add drama and Mortiz Fasbender’s control of harmonic tension and release is beautiful. “Last Airport” has an energetic ostinato motif colored with subtle electronic swells and sounds. Mortiz Fasbender’s use of accents and dynamics is the key to the song’s building nature. She also develops her themes in natural and musical manners. “Gravity Gain” has the electronic sounds creating a pulsing rhythm as the piano colors and builds to assemble a very danceable and melodic statement that is memorable and powerful. Overall, Mortiz Fasbender has a winning combination of neoclassical writing and electroacoustics. Her harmony also pulls in from the jazz genera to create rich tensions and voicings. The result is a musical adventure of machine, acoustics, and mind. That’s the short of it!

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