ernstalbrecht stiebler & tilman kanitz: s/t

In 2019, at the age of 85, reductionist composer Ernstalbrecht Stiebler began an improvising duo, himself on piano, with cellist Tilman Kanitz. What at first glance seems an uncommon move turns out to be a logical continuation of his minimalist compositional style that has been covered extensively on Edition Telemark and other labels. Kanitz, who was trained in classical western music but gathered musical experiences around the world and especially in India, considers his music-making and performance practice a meditative process centering on abstraction. This obviously is a perfect fit for Stiebler, whose music aims to create inner spaces in accordance with his credo that "music is too important to burden it with emotions". Thus, it comes as no surprise that their improvisations, which began as private musical conversations in Kanitz' studio, do not exhibit the talkativeness shown by many other improvisers but center around pitch, harmony and the relationships between single notes. This makes them unique even in today's manifold world of improvisational practices and history. This LP is a selection of recordings made between 2020 and 2022 in Tilman Kanitz's studio in Berlin-Pankow and pairs four improvisations with two short pieces by Stiebler. It is intended as a companion to the CD The Pankow-Park Sessions Vol. 1 on Another Timbre which features a different selection without overlap. Artwork by Aurélie Nemours. Liner notes by Matthias R. Entreß.