Cádiz by Chris Orton and Sören Sieg

This CD contains all my major works for recorder and piano, performed by my good friend Chris Orton and me, recorded and mixed by Mihał Kupicz in June 2022 in Warsaw.

Chris wrote the following essay for the CD booklet:

Tell Them I've Had A Wonderful Life' - the recorder and piano music of Sören Sieg

One of Sören's current projects is to record a number of his compositions, and with that in mind, we decided to record the majority of his music for recorder and piano in June 2022 at his house in Warsaw, followed by a wonderfully informal and friendly house concert on a Sunday afternoon.

The two African Suites and Cadiz are substantial works, each lasting between 15 - 20 minutes. Each piece has its own evocative title, which functions as a starting point for the performers to work from. These are not easy pieces to play, sharing much with the Minimalist movement - complex meters and grouping of beats alongside various ostinati between piano and recorder, resulting in a shimmering, exciting range of colours and moods, requiring a very clean and accurate execution with complete control of pulse and rhythmic discipline. This Sören combines with slow movements which can evolve over a long period and require a real sense of sustain and graduation of energy - without question, a true 'singing style', performed with honesty and from the heart. The three shorter pieces were slow and each was composed for a different personal occasion. Meditation was written in 2022 as a personal response to the war in Ukraine, and from the geographical viewpoint of Warsaw, is close to the situation. Ingxhunguphalo was for me the most personal piece, composed by Sören as a homage after his father's death, in 2015. Performing this in the house concert was a moment of reflection for us all, audience and performers, and profoundly affected everyone present. Valse Triste, from the 'Suite Grotesque' of 1996 was originally composed for recorder trio, however here in a new version for recorder and piano.

The process of recording is always, for me at least, a mixed bag. I always enjoy the end result, however, the repetition and searching for the 'perfect take' can be exhausting - however, we managed to strike the right balance and got some great takes. We recorded over two days in the beautiful music room under the watchful eyes and ears of sound engineer Michal Kupicz, with Sören playing his new Fazioli piano. The combination of piano and recorder works very well for me, and I have spent much of my career playing in this setting. It does, however, present challenges with intonation, blending colours, and of course balance. Those of you who know your pianos will know that Fazioli is a remarkable brand, and it was a real pleasure to play with Sören using this instrument.

For me, the best part of music-making is always the live concert. This was part of a house concert series that Sören has been presenting since November 2021, assisted by the wonderful Karolina Wolska. What I love about these Salon events is that there is intimacy and informality about the whole process. The audience, sitting on chairs, or cushions on the floor, in front, around, and behind the performers, can sit and enjoy the music with a glass of wine in hand. We spoke and introduced the pieces, interspersed with jokes and good humour. The music room and lounge were full, with audience members from all over the world in attendance. The audience also has the chance to give feedback on their preferred pieces on the programme, leaving written notes or talking with us in the interval and afterward in the garden. This party atmosphere continued with some impromptu performances of Rachmaninov Etudes-Tableaux and Chopin Etudes by a very gifted young pianist and audience member, Mikolaj Seroka - without doubt, a name to watch. After a long few years with no concerts and restrictions on movement, there really was a sense of joy and freedom to be had, performing for others and enjoying music in such an informal and open manner.

You can order all sheet music via my website www.soerensieg.de

Sören Sieg learned 7 instruments, published 200 columns, 13 books, 11 theater plays and countless musical works that were premiered on five continents. For 18 years he toured with his a cappella group LaLeLu. He lives as a freelance composer, editor, pianist author, and playwright in Hamburg and Warsaw. This year his first symphonic works premiered in Spain and Switzerland.