borngraber & struver: clouds

Borngräber & Strüver's album Clouds represents a unique selection of chamber music compositions created in the period from 2000 through 2012. This denotes a new facet in the musical cosmos of the Berliner duo, combining influences in the range of minimal music, classic and baroque, as well as the art of improvisation and pop culture. Clouds can be considered an album for fans of Richard Skelton, The Caretaker and Christian Naujoks, but its distinctive work manages to reach a far wider audience. The album begins with the piece "Wellen (Waves)" for soprano and strings. The music is arranged and composed in a sort of wavy shape, as the title suggests. It is a piece in the purest form of minimalism: Without an end, without a beginning. The following track "Mobile" pays homage to Richard Strauss' Don Quixote, as musical parts and constantly-changing atmospheres reconcile to create a sense of movement and mobility. Last but not least, "Secret Bells" represents an "instant composition," as Charles Mingus would say, combining piano works and field recordings. "Clouds 1-3" were written for a virtual chamber orchestra and join together to give the album its leading name. These "Clouds" differentiate themselves through stylistic influences, ranging from classical to the latest in music.