by Shannon Smith
YANA, the musical persona of Joanna Bieńkowska, emerges as one of Poland’s most intriguing neo classical artists with her second album, Daydreamer. Building on her background as an instrumentalist and composer trained at the Academy of Music in Gdańsk, YANA draws from a rich palette of classical instruments—piano, strings, and electronics—to create works that resonate with emotional depth and cinematic grandeur. Daydreamer presents a larger ensemble than her debut album, Solace, where minimalist piano pieces were interwoven with electronic textures and meditative dialogues. In Daydreamer, YANA explores a journey of the human [...]
Val Giamo’s latest album, Stay With Me For Thirty Minutes, released in December 2023, is a musical journey filled with her ability to weave intricate stories through the emotive sounds of solo piano and, piano and cello. Living in Gothenburg, Sweden, Giamo has honed her craft over the years, drawing from a rich array of influences and experiences. From her classical education in Russia to her explorations in various music genres, her work culminates in this album—a narrative journey shared with cellist Axel Vilborg, who joins her for two selections.
The album opens with “Let Us Find A Place,” immediately [...]
Icelandic pianist-composer Eydís Evensen’s second album, The Light, is an artistic experience that unveils the beauty found within pain, suffering, and solitude. This album is an introspective journey that paints a vivid picture of human emotions through the universal language of music. Read our review of her EP Frost.
The album embarks on its journey with “Anna’s Theme,” a piece that gently coaxes the listener into Evensen’s musical realm. This track, marked by a simple yet memorable melody, unfolds through a series of beautiful chord progressions. Evensen’s touch on the piano is light and flowing, the [...]
Eydís Evensen is a classical and new-age pianist who finds inspiration from Iceland’s stunning nature and climate. Her mesmerizing debut album Bylur was a calming contemporary classical diary of her life to date – “So many ups and downs. All of my joy, darkness, happiness, heartbreak, and melancholia,” is how she described it – a more literal journey inspires new EP Frost; through one of her homeland’s winters. “It’s such a hard thing to go through, this darkness,” she explains, “but the rising of the sun earlier and earlier as spring nears is hugely important for Icelanders.”
Opening the EP is [...]
