About the release
My biggest inspiration for this recording has been my discovering of a variety of woodwind sounds, of which I hadn’t previously been consciously aware.
Mark Heinecke comes originally from Wisconsin, USA, and has been living in Norway since 1977.
Frederik Villmow is from Cologne, Germany, and lives in Norway.
This is not a traditional piano trio, but a beautiful experiment where both the woodwinds and drums provide the accompaniment for my piano.
Some comments on the compositions:
«The Pianist’s Garden”– Mark is playing his “Crow in the key of F”- an ocarina
“Contented Today”– Mark plays an old German wooden flute from about 1940
“Red Wing”– Inspired by an American blackbird. piccolo
“Herzlich tut mich”– Based on a Lutheran chorale from 1601. alto flute
“The Garbage Truck Blues”- Do I need to say more? bass clarinet
“Alaska”– Mark and I play four hands on the fantastic grand piano, on the heads in and out, with some bass clarinet in the middle
“Schmücke dich”– Based on a Lutheran chorale from 1649. C flute
“Lunar Ice”– Inspired by the famous tune “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress” composed by Jimmy Webb. Intro on a brand new ceramic flute made by Birte Kittelsen which Mark learned to hold properly just 15 minutes before the recording began, then alto flute
“Jim & Judy”– alto flute
“Somewhere Near, and Beyond”– Inspired by “Over the Rainbow” by Harold Arlen. C flute
“Wie schoen leuchtet”– Based on a 1599 chorale. C flute
“The Demise of Pluto”– Spontaneous composition by all three musicians- the first thing we played in the studio. Mark plays Birte´s ceramic flute
“ River Solhoi”– The river that fascinated me, far away from Oslo. piccolo
Musicians
Olga Konkova - piano, Fender Rhodes
Mark Heinecke - woodwinds
Frederik Villmow - drums
