Christoph Berg & Henning Schmiedt - Bei (2017)

The art of listening is something not only an attentive audience will acknowledge as a high value in music. It’s also the basis of an engaging collaboration and plays a key role in every duo’s encounter. While Henning and Christoph already stand out in operating their respective instruments, their new record also shows that they master in paying attention and responding to one another’s approach simultaneously.

As a result we’re treated with a charmingly spontaneous expression of musical vision that creates a fluid union of sounds to immerse in, proving the interplay of piano and violin to be a timeless and continually fascinating combination. Without taking itself too seriously, this is an honest recording and one that’s achieving a vivid listening experience by providing an almost organic feeling of breathing strings and whispering keys. However, bei delivers much more than the calmness of a whisper: Henning and Christoph let their tunes float and move freely without ever losing their grip, combining versatile shapes of a classical duet with the playful touch of open-mindedness in the most refreshing and satisfactory manner.

The fact that these wonderful suites of chamber music are born from an improvised performance makes the understanding at hand even more astonishing. The two friends’ joined forces have turned into a highly entertaining album, rich with emotions and influences to discover. Through their broad spectrum of transmission we’re witnessing two artists at their most focused and daring: The process of immediate composing