Miha Gantar - Amsterdam (2023) {5CD Box Set}

CD1 Miha Gantar Trio | Reaching For The Infinite
Miha Gantar piano | Nick Dunston double bass | Tristan Renfrow drums

CD2 Miha Gantar Quintet | Passage
Miha Gantar piano | Runa Kimura violin | Teresa Martínez Diago violin | Lorenzo Titolo Duchini viola | Diana Sanz Pascual cello

CD3 Miha Gantar Duo | Common Orbits
Michael Moore alto sax and clarinet | Miha Gantar piano

CD4 Miha Gantar Piano Duo | Inner Discourse
Miha Gantar Piano | Ratnag Ahim Piano

CD5 Miha Gantar Solo | Stasis Temporis
Miha Gantar Piano

After a few seconds into Reaching For The Infinite, there can only be two reactions. First, seasoned listeners will feel satisfaction, while new ears will flood with intrigue. The album, the first disc of the sophomore five-CD set Amsterdam pianist Miha Gantar, kicks off a journey through several modes and lineages around the farthest reaches of the keys.
With his first release, 2022’s five-CD Introducing, Slovenia-born artist pulled from musical disciples as diverse as his history with music itself. Hailing from a musical family, it is clear that Miha ruminates on musical origin points as much as destinations. Yet the latest set, scheduled for October 2023, focuses more on close relationships and introspective reflection.
Reaching For The Infinite kicks off the box set. This burner features Tristan Renfrow on drums and Nick Dunston on double bass. Excelling at attaining musical liberation, they promote a warmth rarely heard in contemporary trios with a piano lead.
Disc 2 presents the fascinating album Passage, featuring the Koma String Quartet. The strings play equal footing to the leader, creating a sonically pleasing experience. The goal was preserving the intimacy, fragility, and magic of what was their first outing together. The dialogue between the players is exhilarating and cerebral as it sways flawlessly in a sea-like motion.
Reedist Michael Moore is enlisted for the third disc, Common Orbits. There is a profoundness in the spontaneity of this album. The players exercise patience and restraint with each other, waiting for the next cue and reading each other’s musical body language to emotional effect. Improvisation at its finest.
The last discs are Piano Duo and Solo. While piano duos aren’t new, it’s still uncommon to encounter artists playing this way (think Bill Evans’ Conversations with Myself from 1963). Self-examination requires a willingness to learn more about our own inner workings, things that are only revealed with the right questions or settings. It’s us letting it out alone, then measuring our responses to better understand how we process the most buried passions and pains.
This last line is crucial to understanding Miha’s work. Regardless of the format the pianist performs in, two of the consistent themes produced are unity and expansion. Whether solo or playing in ensemble, the music starts from within and travels outward, creating conversations with all of the spaces he inhabits and the musicians who join him on the journey.
With the release of Amsterdam, 26-year-old Miha Gantar continues his mission to grow as a pianist and human. He’ll continue his musical studies and global travels, with plans of New York as his next destination. But our artist doesn’t gestate for too long, explaining that he prefers to concentrate, release, and move on to the plateau when possibility reveals opportunity.

Gabriel Jermaine Vanlandingham-Dunn (cow: Music/Astral Spirits Records)