Christoph Stiefel

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Christoph Stiefel - Sofienberg Spirits

Transcendent poetry encounters rhythmic force

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Christoph Stiefel - Sofienberg Spirits

Transcendent poetry encounters rhythmic force

Sofienberg Spirits, the third solo album by the Swiss pianist Christoph Stiefel, can be anchored in the world of classical music as well as in jazz; it can be called impressionistic or meditative, as standing above things or resting deep within their core. In his solos, Stiefel is all by himself, and yet it seems as if he is negotiating with himself as a band. Stiefel turns complexity in the approach into in simplicity in the implementation; in a very individual way, physical force encounters transcendent poetry. The tradition on which Stiefel builds up his composition technique is called isorhythm and comes from the late Middle Ages, or Renaissance music. In this superposition of rhythmic and melodic elements, the pianist himself hits the nail on the head by speaking of creating an illusion of polyrhythm. On Sofienberg Spirits he limits himself to the acoustic piano, which he also prepares, but in some moments the pieces’ linear penetration is almost technoid. Stiefel plays what he has to play. And he plays it the way he needs to play it. He contrasts his compositions with spontaneous improvisations, which are of the same aesthetic attitude, but they are oriented completely differently according to the situation. The ease of these pieces triggers the flow of composed tracks. Sofienberg Spirits is an album that leaves nothing to be desired in its bewitching wholeness, yet opens up huge open spaces that extend not only for centuries, but also give unexpected perspectives to the listener’s perception.