VA: EP Box Set
1631 Recordings

The Swedish imprint 1631 Recordings recently paired material by artists Dustin O'Halloran and Hauschka, Oskar Schuster and Dmitry Evgrafov, and Sophie Hutchings and Library Tapes onto three split EP releases. Yet as credible as they are as stand-alones, when collected into a box (prepared as a limited 300-copy edition, the set comprises three CDs, three LPs, and a booklet) the cumulative effect is considerably greater. The compilation also serves as a representative label portrait, given its focus on neo-classical piano compositions, many of which exude the hushed melancholy of a Chopin nocturne. Though some of the six names are better known than others, the release registers as a cohesive whole when their pieces are gathered together.

O'Halloran and Hauschka (Volker Bertelmann) are obviously two of the set's most familiar names, and their contributions to the set are generally consistent with the styles associated with them. Emblematic of the former's pensive elegance and nuance is “An Empty Space,” a minimal meditation whose mournful languour is deepened by Gyda Valtýsdóttir's cello playing. “Quartet N. 3,” on the other hand, is uncharacteristic of the box in eschewing piano altogether for a strings-only presentation that's poignant and stately by turn, while “The Length of Shadows” likewise stands apart in wedding gentle and glacial expressions of vibes, piano, and acoustic guitar to distantly droning strings, with the end result a soothing, becalmed oasis of sound.

The five Hauschka pieces retain vestiges of his ‘prepared piano' style, but it's the distinctive quality of Bertelmann's writing you'll remember as much. For that matter, that signature aspect of his style is obscured almost entirely in “Late Summer” when its full-blown arrangement features strings, horns, piano, and percussive effects. In contrast to that piece's rousing propulsion, “6 AM” exudes the relaxed, drowsy feel of someone just awakening to a new day, whereas clicking percussive noises (presumably sourced from the piano) imbue the quiet radiance of “No One” with extra colour. The lyricism for which Bertelmann's also become known is accounted for in the final setting, “Blind,” which offers a sombre counterpart to the carefree tone favoured elsewhere.

Schuster's been called “the German Yann Tiersen,” and his six-track contribution to the release makes it easy to see why, the set-closing “Elodie” in particular. His melodically rich and intensely atmospheric material exudes nostalgia for innocent childhood days and longed-for destinations. A sweet sadness pervades his settings, even one as quietly jubilant as “Valse de Milena,” and images of Paris, Vienna, and other romantic European places come to mind as his tasteful reveries fill the air. Schumann and Chopin are cited as influences, and that too is borne out by the elegance and classical character of representative pieces such as “Záhada” and “Alexandria.”

The four-track set from Muscovite pianist Evgrafov parts company with the others by including two comparatively long pieces, one of which, the seven-minute “Output One,” seems positively epic when surrounded by so many two- to three-minute settings. Those featured are minimal in design and, with respect to mood and feeling, intimate, often contemplative, and rich in drama. It wouldn't be off-base to draw a comparison between the respective musics of Evgrafov and Goldmund, based on the material presented here. Of the four, “Output Two” impresses mightily, even if it does so in quiet, restrained manner, while “Output Three” stands out for adding some degree of rhythmic urgency.

Hailing from Sydney, Hutchings contributes seven piano pieces to the project, all of them delicate, fragile, and suffused with feeling. Rich in arpeggios and lilting patterns, her music flows gracefully, and so close does the microphone seem to be to the piano, not only is it audible during “We Move” but Hutchings' wordless vocal exhalations, too. To these ears, the prettiest piece is “So Slightly,” three minutes of exquisite melancholia whose main melody, oddly enough, is reminiscent of the one in The Stylistics' classic “You Make Me Feel Brand New.” Others pieces are equally memorable, among them the aptly titled “Slumber,” touching “Cradle,” and wistful “You and Me.” Hutchings balances sophistication, melody, and feeling beautifully in these settings, making it one of the most satisfying of the box's six parts.

June 2018