Roman Rofalski - The Kapustin Project (2018) [Hi-Res]

The Kapustin Project is taking inventory of all shades of modern piano playing while exploring intersections of composed and improvised music. Roman Rofalski’s broad musical horizon has led him from Classical Music to Jazz, Contemporary and Electronic Music and he is on a mission to find a common vector for all these influences.

The works of Russian composer Nikolai Kapustin (*1937) provide an ideal starting point combining the virtuosity of the concert pianist with groove and the tonal language of Jazz. Written-out improvisations, elements of traditional Jazz, progressive Pop and cues from Shostakovich are being blended in a unique way. Rofalski is juxtaposing these compositions with works by Frederic Rzewski and Bernhard Lang. Rzewski’s Piano Piece No. 4 is settled in American modernism, folk themes and monumental clouds of sound. The Austrian composer Lang is celebrating repetitive patterns derived from Pop and especially Electronic music, subtly modulating and continuously changing colors.

Roman Rofalski’s original compositions and improvisations merge these worlds, contemplating his personal view on this wide range of material while transferring his musical experiences into a musical language without reservation and self-imposed boundaries.

Roman Rofalski, pianist and composer, is seeking for perpetual change in his artistic life. Constantly looking for new frontiers he is experimenting with various styles, aiming to remove the artificial boundaries that have been established between Classical Music and improvised Modern Jazz. With his jazz-trio he has released three albums so far featuring original compositions and arrangements of classical works, especially those of the early 20th century. On these records, he has adapted works of Maurice Ravel, Anton Bruckner, Franz Schubert, Sergej Prokofiev and reaching deep into their compositional structures extracting both modern renditions of the themes as well as deriving a fresh vocabulary for improvisation.

Roman Rofalski studied classical piano at the renowned University for Music, Theater and Media in Hannover, Germany. After having received his Masters Degree he moved to New York City where he studied at the New York University and Queens College. Roman Rofalski’s touring schedule is taking him around the world, from solo recitals to various chamber music performances. He is a member of the Oh Ton-Ensemble for Contemporary Music and works closely with the Stockhausen Foundation. As a partner of Schimmel Pianos, Roman is touring frequently through China.