Dirk Maassen - Time (2022) [Hi-Res]

For his new album "Time" Dirk Maassen has retreated to a remote mountain hut to find his inner melody and his true "I" in solitude and silence.
The pianist and composer, who also works as a software developer, sees the coming to rest of body and mind as the key to the emergence of new musical ideas. "Working on new music takes time and space, and you have to be patient and listen to yourself," explains Dirk Maassen. In search of tranquility, he spent several weeks in South Tyrol, where he had only the company of his piano and the breathtaking views of the mountain wilderness for inspiration. On extended walks, Dirk Maassen found himself. "Living in the mountains reduces everything to its true essence and this simple, basic world opens up so much space to find one's true self" he explains. In this environment, Maassen was able to find his "inner melody" and let it naturally rise into consciousness: "then everything comes together and something magical happens.

"
This magic forms the basis for all fourteen piano pieces on "Time". Once again, Dirk Maassen shows himself to be a master of musical moods, switching from sad, gentle melancholy to radiant optimism. Occasionally his touching piano lines are accompanied by subtle orchestral embellishments, for example in the title track "Time". In it, the ticking of a clock sounds as a beat for the accented pizzicati of the strings, which together with the ascending and descending piano lines create a tension that is never resolved. "Landscapes," on the other hand, with its gentle crescendos, is slow, reflective and meditative. So is "Ethereal," whose pared-down melody was inspired by the awe of the majestic backdrop of the mountains. This quiet sense of awe runs throughout the album "Time," from the haunting, fragile beauty of "Ascending" to the sparse but bright "Mountains."