Since its founding in 2015 by German pianist and composer Nils Frahm, among others, Piano Day has been celebrated on the 88th day of each year, to represent the 88 keys of a piano. Every year, artists gather to pay homage to the beautiful and timeless instrument. To celebrate this year, Frahm released a new album, entitled Graz, which is streaming now and available on vinyl May 21st via Erased Tapes.
Frahm revealed that Graz has actually been a well-kept secret of his since it was recorded in 2009. Referring to the album as sounding like “a much younger version of myself”, Frahm pulled the album from his recording at Mumuth, the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz.
“Close friends whom I had shared the record with reminded me of it once in a while, and some of the pieces got released in other versions on the album Spaces in the meantime,” Frahm stated. “But somehow, any piece of music you create wants to get out there in order to find you, which is why I’m glad to share this beast with you and do hope you enjoy listening to it too!”
Graz is a much more sonically conventional piano album for Frahm, as he usually resorts to a much more ambient, spacious sound for his projects. “Sometimes when you hear a piano, you might think it’s a conversation between a woman and a man. At the same time, it can hint at shapes of the universe and describe how a black hole looks. You can make sounds that have no relation to anything we can measure,” he shared in a press release.
Nils Frahm’s last project came in December when he released the live album Tripping with Nils Frahm.
You can pre-order a physical copy of and listen to Graz here and watch the 2021 Piano Day Livestream celebration below.
