Idiosyncratic, large-scale and in its fundamental disposition one of a kind, Florian Weber’s Imaginary Cycle, conceived for the unique instrumentation of brass ensemble and piano, is a hybrid of multiple musical languages that seamlessly blends the harmonious with the oblique. Here Weber presents a cycle in four parts, bookended by an opening and an epilogue, in which the German pianist is accompanied by a group of four euphoniums, a trombone quartet as well as flautist Anna-Lena Schnabel and Michel Godard on the seldomely used “serpent” brass instrument, together performing a work that blurs the line where improvisation ends and composition begins. As the ensemble elegantly journeys across Florian’s multiple-idioms-spanning oeuvre, symphonic passages mingle with intricate counterpoint, pastoral notions are contrasted with textures more contemporary, as each voice in the ensemble plays an independent part, adding to a whole.
Florian sheds light on how the project initially evolved in the liner notes: “At first Manfred Eicher and I mainly had imagery in mind. Pictorial, figurative landscapes as gateways for musical exploration. We described images and sounds to each other and discovered similarities between our thoughts in the process. As if describing a room to one other, resulting in a particular atmosphere where our two view-points overlap. And from the beginning, the entire project was developed together with him. It started out from a piano-centric approach. Manfred soon introduced the idea of having other instruments join in, but from afar. Lontano he said. I was immediately taken with that approach and we exchanged many ideas surrounding the concept. From early on he proposed adding a group of instruments that would cover a lower frequency range.”
Joining Weber for the realization of this intricately wrought endeavour is the French euphonium quartet Opus 333 on the one side and a hand-picked group of four trombone players on the other. Weber’s long-time musical accomplice Michel Godard, who plays serpent and tuba on the album, was a close advisor for the choice of euphonium players, bass trombonist Maxine Troglauer – a more recent but equally trusted acquaintance of Weber’s – helped find the right trombonists for this purpose. Adding to this instrumental foundation – aside from Florian on piano –, flutist Anna-Lena Schnabel and Michel Godard hover above and between the ensemble sections, building a connection between the piano and the brass, a bridge between ancient and contemporary forms of musical expression, and intersections, seamless, between the composed and the improvised worlds.
“Some of the pieces in the cycle start out from a completely improvised point and slowly build their way into a through-composed passage,” Florian notes. “Anna-Lena Schnabel is especially sensitive and skilled at reacting to the mood and overall conceptual arc of the music. She’s truly able to capture the compositional aspect in her improvisations. The same goes for Michel, whose communication with the other instruments is unique.”
All aspects of Florian’s musical proficiency are given space in extended moments to unfold throughout Imaginary Cycle. With the term comprovisation Florian refers to the inherent synergy of composed and improvised elements, while polyphonic intuition, a term coined by Florian, alludes to the pianist’s ability to develop improvisational passages from an almost subconscious state of mind. Both notions, given a more detailed outline in the liner note, are prevalent in the music. Intuitively, the pianist drives his lavish piano introduction at the beginning of cycle towards a musical clearing where the keyboard is greeted by horns, preparing the field for the first evocative chapter “Opening”.
The names of the cycle parts – the remaining three are called “Word”, “Sacrifice” and “Blessing” – stem from Florian’s reflections on the liturgical mass as a means of musical organisation. Interaction – one of its main traits – is a characteristic that sits at the core of Imaginary Cycle and at the heart of the ensemble’s approach. Individual instruments and ensemble sections detach and regroup spontaneously throughout the album, in natural response to both Florian’s scores and off-the-cuff spurs to depart on improvised paths, everyone always in close dialogue with each other. Influenced as much by the Renaissance madrigal as by 20th century composers and more recent vanguards of forward-thinking music, Weber’s vision exhausts the boundaries of polyphony and steers his ensemble to something radically new and imaginary.
Recorded at the Sendesaal Bremen in July 2022, the record was produced by Manfred Eicher.
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Weber’s compositions straddle jazz and the avant-garde seamlessly. The emphasis is on economy and beauty; it’s hard to resist the melting of colors of the compositions, the delicate touch of the players and the seductive calm of the tempi. […] The delicate, kinetic execution of Weber’s exquisite, often pensive compositions at times conveys the rejuvenating splendour of savouring crisp spring water.
– Downbeat magazine on Weber’s Lucent Waters
Florian Weber has established himself as one of the most enigmatic and accomplished pianists and composers between the genres in Europe and beyond – the online magazine Something Else! has called him “a truly forward thinking pianist… astonishing!”, while the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung hailed him as “an exceptional pianist with a fresh new sound.” Since his ECM debut in duo with Markus Stockhausen on 2016’s Alba, Weber has gone from strength to strength, garnering awards, commissions and spotlights in international festivals.
He released his leader recording Lucent Waters in 2018, playing alongside trumpeter Ralph Alessi, Nasheet Waits on drums and bassist Linda May Oh. As a sideman, the pianist appears on both Matthieu Bordenave albums (La Traversée, The Blue Land) and Ralph Alessi’s It’s Always Now (“Immediately one senses Weber to be an ideal harmonic partner, able to anticipate and gently react to Alessi’s movements, which are by no means predictable” – Making A Scene).
