Artist: Kržišnik, Borut
Label: KUD France Prešeren
Release: 2009
Rating: 4/5
Borut Kržišnik first made a name for himself playing in bands like Marcus 5, Borghesia and Laibach, but lately he’s been making waves purely with his own creations. Two years ago he gave us some superb music for a dance performance on the album Sacre du Temps, and now he’s back with something similar, once again in classical dress, on the album Valse Brutal.
On this record Kržišnik more or less picks up right where his last project left off. Once again we get his modern-day take on classical music, full of dissonance, unpredictability and risk. I’d go as far as to say Kržišnik was heavily inspired by the music of the great Russian composer Igor Stravinsky and a few more contemporary avant-garde classical composers. Like I said, Valse Brutal has all those typical avant-garde elements: strange melodies and unpredictable patterns. Avant-garde musicians too can easily get stuck in the stereotypical patterns of avant-garde music, which, like it or not, form over time (even in avant-garde music). But even though at first listen the album seems like a mere continuation of Sacre du Temps, Kržišnik doesn’t flow in quite the same direction as on its predecessor, and keeps surprising you with something new.
Kržišnik once again played the whole album himself. But unlike his previous release, where he did have some help from collaborators playing real classical instruments, this time he creates all the sound himself with his keyboards, which sound startlingly like a classical orchestra. I’ve never been a big fan of effects in music, since they usually sound artificial and unconvincing, but Kržišnik’s keyboards are uncannily close to real classical instruments, and only composers with an exceptional ear can pull that off, since even the tiniest nuance or flaw could seriously damage the quality of the product. But there’s none of that here. Everything is exactly as it should be.
Kržišnik carries on with his vision from where he left off on Sacre du Temps. And why not? Sacre du Temps was a pure success from an artistic standpoint, and the same story continues with Valse Brutal, which is just as classical, dynamic and dramatic as its predecessor, even if different. This really isn’t music for rock fans who want it “straight to the face”, but if you’ve got the time, just sit down and listen to this play of sounds. Borut Kržišnik hasn’t disappointed once again. Admittedly, the only thing you could maybe hold against him is that sonically he doesn’t do anything new this time, but the music is structurally quite different from Sacre du Temps, and that’s exactly why his take on avant-garde classical still sounds fresh and relevant.
Line-up
Borut Kržišnik – virtual orchestra
Production
Borut Kržišnik
Track list
1. Intruder
2. Goldbach’s Conjecture
3. Valse Brutal
4. Ludi Amphitheatrales
5. Dreams and Frames
6. Corridors of Power
7. Polite Predators
