FLAC tracks | Classical Soundtrack | 35:07 | 180 MbAs Hauschka, Düsseldorf, Germany’s Volker Bertelmann reimagines the potential of the prepared piano for the 21st century.

A technique that involves inserting objects between the instrument’s strings or onto its hammers to expand its sonic and operative possibilities, the prepared piano dates back to the late 19th and early 20th century.

Hauschka’s music touches on the work of the technique’s innovators, such as Erik Satie and John Cage, nods to early keyboard works by Philip Glass, Terry Riley, and Steve Reich, and even echoes gamelan’s undulating melodies.

His early albums, such as 2005’s The Prepared Piano, focused on his instrument’s distinctive sound, but Hauschka expanded his horizons on 2011’s house- and techno-influenced Salon Des Amateurs and 2017’s What If, which combined hip-hop-influenced rhythms with rapid-fire player pianos.

Along the way, Bertelmann also became a well-regarded composer for film and stage productions; his score to the 2016 movie Lion with Dustin O’Halloran received Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations.

As broad as the scope of Hauschka’s work is, it’s unified by the imaginative possibilities not just of the prepared piano, but music itself.

Tracklist:01. Hauschka – Tram (1:28)02. Hauschka – Ring (1:25)03. Hauschka – Lost for Words (1:07)04. Hauschka – Ironic (1:53)05. Hauschka – Letters (1:18)06. Hauschka – Club Piece (2:51)07. Hauschka – Frag mich ob du da bist (1:38)08. Hauschka – Emmi’s Letter, Pt. 1 (0:47)09. Hauschka – Pool Side (0:46)10. Hauschka – Supermarkt (1:02)11. Hauschka – Krankenhaus (0:36)12. Hauschka – Traffic Lights (0:45)13. Hauschka – An ihrem Unglück (1:41)14. Hauschka – Train Journey (2:26)15. Hauschka – Emmi’s Letter, Pt. 2 (0:58)16. Hauschka – Bettdecke (2:27)17. Hauschka – Virtual Island (1:24)18. Hauschka – Bernhards Mail (2:42)19. Hauschka – Trampolin (2:10)20. Hauschka – Unibib (2:07)21. Hauschka – Emmi statt Emma (3:39)