Henning Schmiedt

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4...according to our Phil on Thu 01 Apr, 2010.

This is the 2nd CD we've had from Henning. After his last album which was created for his pregnant wife to help her pregnancy (she'll still have been kicking his face of during labour mind you) here's his new opus 'Wolken'. Which does exactly as you'd think it would. He's a German virtuoso and here he plays in a cheeky lively style which reminds me a bit of Hauschka (without the ping pong balls and bottle tops) and possibly a bit of Nils Frahm. As far as solo piano music goes it veers away from the maudlin end of things and it's unusually chipper. It's fresh and modern sounding and it's certainly calming me down after a well intense day here at the towers. Sometimes only the tinkles of a piano will do.

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After his critically acclaimed debut album "Klavierraum" was released in summer last year, Berlin-based pianist Henning Schmiedt has became one of the most well-known names among the modern classical fans in Asia region.
With a debut that still sells very well in countries like Japan, Henning is now back with his amazingly beautiful 2nd solo album, "Wolken".

Unlike "Klavierraum" - which was a very personal, peaceful and intimate album made especially for his pregnant wife, "Wolken", which carries the meaning of "Cloud" in German, is gorgeously sprinkled with bright piano sounds that are overflowing with warmth and gracefulness, without losing Henning’s distinctive style. These soul-lifting compositions are the outcome of the inspirations Henning drew from gazing out from his studio window, at the open sky, the chirping birds, the slow sailing ships and the running river.

In “Wolken”, Henning’s piano sounds are like subtle paint-brush strokes that graciously coloring the flowing time of its listeners. The delicate touches of keyboard, the superior technique, the amazing acoustic treatments, all plotted with elegant melodies to form a remarkably graceful ambient, “Wolken” represents a very distinctive sense of beauty in piano solo music. And for this, we are truly grateful to have Henning Schmiedt to bring out this exquisiteness in modern classical music to us.
RIYL: Peter Broderick, Hauschka, Max Richter

about Henning Schmiedt:
Henning Schmiedt, pianist, composer, arranger, was born in 1965 and grew up in the former East Germany where working with art and music represented social freedom. He studied music in Rostock, and gave concerts and made CDs particularly with jazz-oriented ensembles in the middle of the 80s. In the 90s, he was influenced more and more by both classical and world music.
He played, arranged and produced for many international artists like Mikis Theodorakis, Maria Farantaouri, Jocelyn B. Smith, Zülfü Livaneli, Wu Wei, Georgeos Theodorakis, Sema, Lauren Newton, Maria Del Mar Bonet, Milva, Dimitra Galani, Al di Meola, Petros Pandis and many others.
Creative desire for musical experiments: film soundtrack for a Kurt Weill film, theatre music for "Metamorphosis" based on ideas by Kafka, re-instrumenting of Mahler's "Songs on the Death of Children", various sound installations, composition of chamber music, vocal music, etc...
Global player: in addition to performing in concerts all over the world with all kinds of ensembles and orchestras, he was dedicated to his very own project PamagieRA, combining and improvising contemporary chamber music with original world music as well as his own solo CD "Bilder".

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