Hauschka - Foreign Landscapes

Redruth · August 22, 2010

Hauschka - Foreign Landscapes

01. Alexanderplatz

02. Iron Shoes

03. Mount Hood

04. Madeira

05. Union Square

06. Snow

07. Early in the park

08. Kamogawa

09. Children

10. Sunny Mission

11. Kouseiji

12. Trost

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With his past two albums, Hauschka carved a niche for himself in the world of "prepared piano," i.e. the technique of placing various objects or materials
inside the innards of a grand piano to create new tones. It's a method that was popularized by John Cage in the 1930's and kept alive by contemporary composers

like Christian Wolff, though Hauschka's take on the genre is slightly more pop-inspired, with increased focus on melody over timbre. Over the years he's received

praise from publications like Pitchfork and Mojo and embarked on a number of international tours, including one with the Icelanding group Mum.

Foreign Landscapes shows Hauschka expanding his palette a bit, playing piano with full orchestral accompaniment. Nostalgia has been a theme in his music

in the past--2008's Ferndord was named after the German village where Bertelmann grew up--and it finds its way into the new album as well. The album was

largely inspired by Hauschka's travels over the past few years, with many pieces harking back to specific spots that made an impression

on him, such as Alexanderplatz in Berlin and Union Square in Manhattan.