Artist: Adam Baldych Quartet, Adam Bałdych
Album: Sacrum Profanum
Genre: Jazz
Release Date: 2019
Audio Format: FLAC (tracks) 24bit, 88,2 kHz
Duration: 51:21
Total Tracks: 10
Total Size: 915 MB
Tracklist:
1-2. Adam Bałdych – O Virga Ac Diadema (06:12)
1-3. Adam Bałdych – Profundis (04:49)
1-4. Adam Bałdych – Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (05:11)
1-5. Adam Bałdych – Bogurodzica (05:47)
1-6. Adam Bałdych – Miserere (04:54)
1-7. Adam Bałdych – Repetition (05:30)
1-8. Adam Bałdych – Longing (04:32)
1-9. Adam Bałdych – Miracle of ’87 (06:37)
1-10. Adam Bałdych – Jardin (02:48)
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Alongside five pieces from this heritage (in addition to those already mentioned, there is one by Gregorio Allegri and the “Bogurodzica” – composer unknown) there are five new compositions by Bałdych himself. What unites all of them is a combination of the spirit of improvisational freedom and an inclination towards a classical sound.
“As a young violinist, I was expelled from music school for playing jazz, for improvising and for rebelling against classical music in an attempt to redefine the sound of the violin. Now, once again, I felt the imperative to connect with my greatest inspiration at the moment – classical music,” is how Bałdych explains the back-story of “Sacrum Profanum”.
Together with his outstanding Polish band of Krzysztof Dys on piano, Michal Baranski on bass and David Fortuna on drums, he has been intent on exploring the possibilities in sound offered by New Music. Orchestral instruments such as the Gran Cassa, cymbals or gongs were added, and the piano was prepared for some of the pieces. And Bałdych himself drew inspiration from the unique sound qualities of the Renaissance violin.
Just in case there might be any misunderstanding: “Sacrum Profanum” is not a classical album, and certainly not a new-age album. Bałdych’s esthetic has no boundaries, blends the depth and language of new classical music and yearning to convey personalities through self-expression of jazz. His music is deeply rooted in rich European tradition, with Polish and Eastern European spices.
And quiet it is not. Yes, there are meditative passages, where the sound is shaped in a classical, form-conscious way; but these episodes stand in contrast with fast, furious and rocky outbursts (especially in “Repetition”) and rhythm playing that is generally pretty forceful. Even Hildegard of Bingen’s “O Virga ac diadema” acquires a fast, driving feel as it sways back and forth. And Gubaidulina’s “Concerto For Viola And Orchestra” becomes a roisterous suite, somewhere between a film soundtrack and free jazz. Bałdych’s concluding solo on “Jardin” almost sounds like a pop song. He plays it without using the bow, just plucking and striking the violin strings. He has taken all the elements that have made his music so distinctive and put them into the mix on this album. Or, as he puts it: “For me, contemporary virtuosity is based on the most sophisticated and varied of sounds, full of new colours and different techniques, which I discover by experimenting on my instrument. It gives me an infinite sea of possibilities.”
Adam Bałdych went in search of his own new form of expressiveness. And on “Sacrum Profanum”, he has found it.