Stephane Horeczko

A minimal album in the minimalist mode G. 1888 is the debut piano album from French pianist/composer Stephane Horeczko. Horeczko is a classically trained musician who has written music for a number of films in the past and is currently part of the musical duo Kaplain whose other half lent a hand on a couple of the tracks on the album. According to “Mainlypiano.com” G. 1888 “is an homage to French composer Erik Satie (1866-1925), and the album title comes from Satie’s most famous work, ‘Trois Gymnopedies.’ The ‘G.’ is for ‘gymnopedies,’ and ‘1888’ is the year that work was originally published.” Unfortunately, G. 1888 sounds as if it too were composed in the year 1888.

Horeczko is known as a minimalist artist, and his artistic integrity upholds in G. 1888 in the fact that the majority of the album is just a man and his piano but, on the downside, that is exactly what it sounds like, a man and his piano. True, the musical stylings of Horeczko are elegant and beautiful, and there is no doubt that he is an accomplished musician, however, nothing novel is being produced and it all seems as it has been done before.

In true minimalist fashion, many of the songs feature broken chords and harmonies that are repeated to a hypnotic effect, making it easy to become lost within the life of the album forgetting whether it is the beginning middle or end. In this sense many of the songs sound similar, but can stand on their own due to Horeczko incorporating these minimalist elements to a masterly degree by bringing the songs full circle with the grace and expertise of a revered short story writer.

Nevertheless, one can’t get past that the album is commercially unviable and doesn’t appeal to a small audience outside of classical music aficionados, upscale department stores and high class elevator operators because is essentially background music. But this doesn’t mean it isn’t grade-A background music. If you were to hear G. 1888 in your local dive bar the music proves to be so sublime that before long, if someone didn’t cut the power from the jukebox, you would be discarding those $1.50 Pabst Blue Ribbon beers for high end martinis as you eyed the red-headed dame from across the bar as if you were transferred into a high class cocktail lounge found in a black and white noir film. It blends into the ambience of wherever it is played, and like any well played instrumental music, after a while, one seems to forget that it is even being played, it becomes one with you, your motions flow with the rhythms of the piece as you go about your actions and it isn’t until either a mistake is made or the song ends that you are jerked back into the reality that there is song being played in the room you are occupying.

But, despite this empowering reality, the album becomes soporific over time, and if one doesn’t listen to the album while simultaneously doing other work, you may find yourself asleep before long. Admittedly, my highpoint during the album was when I was doing research on Horeczko and clicked on his webpage while listening to the album. Suddenly, my ears perked as a curious dissonance flowed from the speakers, my interest peaking as a song so different from the others promised an experimental, progressive turn in the album. However, seconds later, after listening closer, the realization came that a song from the website was simultaneously playing against a song from G. 1888. After this let down, I was only saved by the fact that the album is only 35 minutes in duration, truly minimal in every way.

Collin Minnis-MuzikReviews.com Contributor

October 3, 2009

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