If this track doesn’t make you pause and listen, nothing will. Its beauty is phenomenal

Incredibly beautiful, serene, and delicate.

Sudden Softness

Yes, I have already premiered two tracks this week (see Plïnkï Plønkï and Resina), and yes, this is another premiere of a track, and yet it is immensely needed, wanted, and necessary during these somewhat anxious times. “Rjóður” comes from the Icelandic composer Snorri Hallgrímsson, whom I’ve profiled on many occasions before (see also his In the Studio with… feature), as well as celebrated for his film music, which has been backed by the wonderful Moderna Records (home to many fantastic modern classical and solo piano composers, such as Jacob David, Ed Carlsen, Tim Linghaus, Tambour, and even yours truly). This particular piece appears on Hallgrímsson’s second EP titled Landbrot II – the first having been released last November with five pieces, and now, a year later, with five more. “The collection takes its name from the location of Hallgrímsson’s family cabin in rural Iceland, which he describes as his ‘happy place’. Landbrot translates to erosion or ‘land fractures’, and from this, we can imagine the search for inner calm and acceptance amongst the many obstacles of daily life.”

Read more about this release here: https://hcdi.gs/Landbrot

Landbrot II

Rjóður

TRACK PREMIERE : Snorri Hallgrímsson - Rjóður

I’m taking another quick break in the midst of my Best of the Year feature to premiere this beautiful piece, and then, I promise, I’ll finish up publishing all of these year-end lists [only one more to go!] before the end of this week. Meanwhile, let’s all spend some time in the company of Vanessa Wagner, a French pianist who’s, in my humble opinion, doing something for the modern classical scene, what Martha Argerich did for the contemporary classical in the 20th century. It was indeed the debut recital of Argerich’s 1961 performance that thoroughly captivated me in her execution of Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B Minor [I still think it is the best rendering of that beautiful piece]. And it is Wagner’s solo piano virtuoso performances of music by Philip Glass, Nico Muhly, Suzanne Ciani, Harold Budd, and yes, even Brian Eno & Roger Eno, on this upcoming release on InFiné is what’s raising the bar for the next level of music appreciation from these present classical composers of the ambient and electronic music scenes. The imprint had previously showcased Wagner’s talent when she partnered with Murcof for Statea in 2016. Three years later, we were graced with Inland, on which Wagner played music by Bryce Dessner, Moondog, and Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch, among many others. For The Study Of The Invisible, Wagner continues her exploration of the minimalist repertoire, with many rare and unpublished pieces, some that have never been performed on the piano before. In today’s premiere, I’m sharing a composition by Ezio Bosso, an award-winning Italian composer who sadly passed away in May of 2020. This is a gorgeous minimal piece that resonates in the quietude of early morning and leaves behind the traces of melancholy, yearning for hope, and ultimately the acceptance.

More details, plus a video here: https://hcdi.gs/Before6

Before 6

TRACK PREMIERE : Vanessa Wagner - Before 6 [Ezio Bosso]

In a sonic world which currently appears to be saturated with meditative and reflective music, it seems too hard to meditate and then reflect upon the meaning of this saturation. Is it the fact that we’re all receding into quietude and need a bit more space for all our mental health, or is it simply the machinery behind the scenes that works like a suggestive algorithm to feed us more of what we want? I suspect the truth lies somewhere in between because it’s a little bit of both. Thankfully, I think I can see right through the latter, and bring you closer to the former because there are a few artists, and more importantly, record labels, that really focus on aesthetics, delivering music that connects every listener, and not just dilutes them with more of the same. In this particular case, I am speaking, of course, of Moderna, which since 2015, has been offering us beautiful gems. With their latest release, this Montreal-based imprint is introducing us to a Polish composer and pianist, Piotr Wiese. Building upon a successful string of film soundtracks, singles and albums, Wiese is currently working on a new LP for the label, but today we can get a sneak preview into his world with a charming title track, taken from his upcoming EP in September. “Coming Home” is a lovingly executed solo piano piece, with roots in European romanticism and newly-born branches in contemporary classical and reductionist minimalism genres – exactly how I like it. It’s a poetic melody that comforts and quilts, reminding me so much of those meditative and reflective pieces that I love so much to console in, even if they come from a turbulent mind of my own.

"Coming Home is all about a journey – the one you undertake to get to know your true self. Sometimes a lot of time has to pass to get to the place where you live your own life, rather than the lives of others. And then when you get to that place it feels like ‘coming home’ from a long journey. There can nonetheless be sadness because there are people, often loved ones, you have to leave behind to live in peace with yourself amidst the joy of the return to self."

Coming Home

TRACK PREMIERE : Piotr Wiese - Coming Home

I find it absolutely fascinating and, at the same time, truly inspiring thought, that with the untimely passing of Jóhann Jóhannsson in February of 2018 (wow, almost four years ago now!), he still really lives on through the music he made. And not just through his own. And although he left an incredible void, it's not like someone just stepped into his shoes. Instead, a significant number of collaborators and followers that he touched through the years continued to carry his legacy through their own unique sound. His light didn't go out - it just exploded into hundreds of thousands of fragments of many other lights, that are now expanding, forming their gravity, and with time growing larger. And I sort of wonder if that would have happened if it didn't happen the way it already has. That is an absolutely fascinating and truly inspiring thought with which I opened this write-up. In today's track premiere, we have precisely just that. Danish composer Jonas Colstrup worked closely with Jóhann throughout the years, collaborating on scores for the Japanese films Blind Massage (2014) and The Shadow Play (2018). Inspired by the late musician's approach to neo-classical minimalism carried forth with the cinematic elegance, as well as the incredible score by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Alva Noto and Bryce Dessner for The Revenant (Milan, 2015), and contemporary compositions by William Walton and Arvo Pärt, Colstrup gently sculpts a sonic chrysalis of emotion, in which one wants to wait out all current angst. And if this was a blind listening session, you may have even thought I'd uncovered an unreleased Johannsson track, with those scaling chord progressions and the beautiful arrangements performed by the Budapest Art Orchestra and Theatre of Voices. But to be clear, once again, this is not a copy, made from a mould lifted from Jóhann's work. It is an unmatched gorgeous sculpture, on which you may find his imprint, still warm to the touch.

At The Crest

TRACK PREMIERE : Jonas Colstrup - At The Crest

Paraply

Voices - Alev Lenz
Piano - Lucy Claire
Violins - John Garner and Julia Loucks
Viola - Marie Schreer
Cello - Samuel Justitz

Recorded by Josh Green
Produced by Lucy Claire

Somnus Ft. Bruised Skies

We Left The Place

Concluding "Hope" theme for the mini documentary "A Neighborhood At The Limit", commissioned by Parallaxi, realised by DesTV, directed by Giorgos Skandalaris. Screened at Olympion / Thessaloniki / 10 June 2015.

- This track was later on expanded and adapted to the 8.1 surround system of "Start Fellowship Celebration" held in Labattoir, Thessaloniki, May 12 2016. Photo by Angelos Zymaras

Special thanks to Elisso Papastrati (violin) and Charalambos Papadopoulos (Cello)!

A Neighborhood At The Limit - Hope Theme (extended)

“Under The Sour Cherry Tree”
Composer & Arranger: Amir Mahmoudi
Soprano Voice: Sogand Raoufi
Saxophone: Amirhossein Farkhondeh
Piano: Amir Mahmoudi
Cello: Arvin Moeini Nezhad
Bass Guitar: Mahdi Sharegh
Recording Engineer: Amir Mahmoudi
Recorded & Produced at Igor Music Studio
Mixing & Mastering: Shahriar Alavi
Cover Design: Asma Alinezhad
Official Teaser on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWxnbsEG3bc
© 2025 Igor Music Studio, Inc.

Follow Me On:
Official Website: www.amirmahmoudi.com
Instagram: instagram.com/amiir_mahmoudi
YouTube: youtube.com/@amirmahmoudi_official
Facebook: facebook.com/amir.mahmoudi.music
Bandcamp: https://amirmahmoudi.bandcamp.com

Under The Sour Cherry Tree

Light emerges from fragments scattered in the void, floating like shooting stars in rivers that move against time. Each moment is a breath caught between worlds, where silence expands into vast labyrinths and melodies flicker like hidden codes at the heart of the unknown. The journey unfolds like a dialogue between earth and sky, revealing secrets that bring shadows and whispers written in memory. What begins as a broken light becomes a timeless weight of dreams: forgotten yet eternal, fragile yet endless.

Between Earth and Silence

www.patreon.com/alicebaldwin

Für Rik. 
Experimenting with an old song idea. Trying not to mess it all up with the strings..

Freiheit wär viel lustiger

The second song from 'Mono' - Simeon Walker's new full length album - 'Turn' invites and welcomes listeners to hunker down and hibernate away from the stresses and strains of the world.

With stunning artwork by Gregory Euclide, the album is now available to pre-order both digitally (on all major streaming services) and on limited edition vinyl and CD.

Head to www.simeonwalker.co.uk/shop for more information

Mono

Pre-order

Turn

Anne Lovett’s stunning new release for 1631 is a departure from her beautiful previous solo piano album Beyond (and below). Without loosing any of the startling beauty of the preceding album, in The Eleventh Hour, Anne Lovett revels in a new sonic world. Joined by the London Contemporary Orchestra , UK’s most innovative and respected ensemble routinely heard alongside such luminaries as Radiohead or Johnny Greenwood, and later in duo with phenomenal cellist and composer Oliver Coates, Anne Lovett also introduces subtle electronics interwoven carefully alongside layered melodic piano lines.

The main narrative for the album was conceived shortly after a new addition was brought in to Anne’s studio, a plantation chair which sat opposite her Grotrian-Steinweg grand piano. It led to intense hours of rethinking around the instrument itself and more generally about the seismic shifts that were taking place in society. The album is an attempt to reconcile the flaws of time. 

Best described by the Japanese concept of Kintsugi or “broken beauty”, The Eleventh Hour is a heartbreakingly beautiful contribution to the modern “indie” classical genre. The thirteen tracks all meticulously crafted and ringing out with a dark luminosity, like an elegy to our troubled times. 

It will appeal to fans of Dustin O’Halloran, Nils Frahm, Max Richter, Philipp Glass, Jóhann Jóhannson who will find many reasons to love this album .

www.1631recordings.bandcamp.com/album/the-eleventh-hour

The Eleventh Hour

Anne Lovett - The Eleventh Hour

Earlier this year, Icelandic composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Snorri Hallgrímsson released his debut album on Moderna, titled Orbit. I’ve spent more than just a few hours with this wonderful album, often reminding me of more vocal works from Ólafur Arnalds, with whom Snorri has collaborated on many occasions (the album was primarily recorded at Arnalds’ studio in Reykjavik). It was still on the list of albums to share with you, my readers, when an opportunity to premiere this beautiful rework presented itself. Orbit Reworked is an upcoming four-track release on Moderna, featuring remixes and re-imaginations of pieces by Luke Howard, Tom Adams, Slow Meadow and, the focus of this exclusive premiere, London-based cellist, Peter Gregson.

At some time, between all the firm work, and his very own release on the esteemed Deutsche Grammophon, titled Recomposed By Peter Gregson: Bach – The Cello Suites [stay tuned for an in-depth write-up on that, folks], Gregson found a moment to add his beautiful cello touch to the already gorgeous “… og minning þín rís hægt” track (which loosely translates to “and your memory rises slowly” from Icelandic), with its moody swaying passages lamenting over the sparkling piano glimmer. And at only a bit over three minutes in length, this gentle piece manages to capture the weather and the scenery of the internal brewing storm, even without the words to prompt us of the story.

"… the songs on Orbit explore the difficulties of living in and moving between vastly different places: from Mexico’s sunny days to Iceland’s long winter nights and their emotional toll. Orbit is also about people met along the way, of friends and family whose absence is bittersweet. The concept of ‘home’ is replaced by an ‘orbit’ the composer circles from place to place.”

While the full-length was mastered by Ian Hawgood, Orbit Reworked is backed by a touch from Taylor Deupree at his 12k Mastering studio. The artwork is courtesy of Elín Elísabet Einarsdóttir   who also produced the cover for the Orbit. The release is out this Friday, and I highly recommend that you pick up the album as well. You can pre-order it now on Bandcamp.

Orbit Reworked

…og minning þín rís hægt (Peter Gregson Rework)

TRACK PREMIERE : Snorri Hallgrímsson - …og Minning Þín Rís Hægt (Peter Gregson Rework)

In Silentio

On The First Day

Here are some original solo piano pieces...  some mixes from my podcast... some exclusive track premieres...  and some tracks from the albums I review on Headphone Commute... Enjoy!

TRACK PREMIERE : Snorri Hallgrímsson - Rjóður

Headphone Commute

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