Peach Blossom, by Piotr Kurek

Peach Blossom

by Piotr Kurek

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lionvalley Buying this album again now that it is available in a physical format because I absolutely love it. Like a floating helium-infused digital baroque chorus with glockenspiel accompaniment, but that doesn't capture what makes it so unique and beautiful. Plus three additional tracks on this new CD edition, which I look forward to hearing. Favorite track: Martin is Crying.

Ş Piotr is one of the few remaining composers about whom you can say 'pushing the boundaries' and really mean it. The best thing about all this is that even if it is 'experimental', it is still first and foremost 'music'. Bravo! Favorite track: Martin is Crying.

Brad Rose This album was featured on the April 6, 2023 episode of Foxy Digitalis Daily: foxydigitalis.zone/2023/04/06/foxy-digitalis-daily-4-6-23-piotr-kurek/ Favorite track: Martin is Crying.

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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
⤳ Glass mastered CD in digipack
⤳ Includes exclusive bonus tracks "Passage", "Duets" and "Pink Sion"

Includes unlimited streaming of Peach Blossom via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Download available in 24-bit/48kHz.

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Vinyl LP
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
⤳ Black vinyl pressing limited to 300 copies
⤳ Heavyweight outer + poly-lined inner sleeves
⤳ Includes a (double) download code card

Includes unlimited streaming of Peach Blossom via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
Download available in 24-bit/48kHz.

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1.	The Art of Swapping Hearts 02:36	buy track
2.	Peach Blossom 03:58 video	buy track
3.	Breathing 08:24	buy track
4.	Martin is Crying 12:56	buy track
5.	Ds / The Moss Beneath 04:38	buy track
6.	Bau 02:38	buy track

about

Polish composer Piotr Kurek returns to Mondoj with 'Peach Blossom', an album centered around sung and synthesised vocal harmonies, showcasing the composer’s gentle, uncanny approach to vocal treatments and arrangements. Pairing the vocals of Komi Togbonou and Martin Weigel (both actors of Münchner Kammerspiele) and spoken words by Chinese performer Xiangjie with MIDI and live recordings of various instruments like marimba, flutes, reeds as well as various percussion instruments, the Warsaw-based composer highlights the unique tonal and textural potential of the human voice. The title track perhaps illustrates this approach most strikingly, interweaving wordless layers of vocals that ebb and flow with natural grace. “Breathing” follows with a more abrupt, almost jazz-tinged atmosphere, whereas “Ds / The Moss Beneath'' is more orchestral, almost classical in its approach. The centerpiece of the album is the 12-minute opus “Martin Is Crying”, where the interplay between the vocal layers and glockenspiel resembles classic early renaissance music, while adding more range and harmony to the playful tone.

'Peach Blossom' is another theater-adjacent release following Kurek's acclaimed collection 'A Sacrifice Shall Be Made / All The Wicked Scenes' (2020). The album features music from a theatre performance at Münchner Kammerspiele in October 2021 titled ‘某种类似于我的地洞：心室片段 Heart Chamber Fragments’ (directed by Tian Gebing / Paper Tiger Theatre), as well as music composed following the completion of this project. ‘Peach Blossom’ is named after a fable written in the year 421 by Chinese poet Tao Yuanming which depicts life in harmony in perfect isolation from the outside world, unaware of it for centuries. Kurek’s aural interpretation builds on it even further, showcasing his incredible world-building ability, creating fascinating, absorbing music from the simplest of ingredients.

Text by Adam Badí Donoval

credits

released March 31, 2023

Music composed, performed and produced by Piotr Kurek.

Vocals by Komi Togbonou (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and Martin Weigel (1, 2, 3). Spoken words by Xiangjie (6).
Recorded at Münchner Kammerspiele by Piotr Kurek and Ulrich Treutwein. Spoken words recorded by Hua Dong.

Mastered by Stephan Mathieu at Schwebung Mastering.

Cover artwork by Mel Keane (Frog of Earth).
Back cover photo by Ng Chor Guan.
Design and layout by Paulina Ufnal & Janek Ufnal.

"Peach Blossom" video directed by Sebastian Mihăilescu, edited by Marc Solomon.

⤳ MONDOJ21

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about

Piotr Kurek Warszawa, Poland

Piotr Kurek is a Warsaw-based musician, multi-instrumentalist and composer. Known to work as a solo musician, but also as part of various collaborations, he has released music on Unsound, Edições CN, Mondoj, Hands In The Dark, Black Sweat Records, Dunno, Sangoplasmo and other labels. ... more

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