vaghy – granum

A classically trained pianist, vaghy (who we interviewed) has set his heart on composing a project in an undeterred stream of improvisation. Having mined the ore of inspiration, he has managed this behemoth task and shared the work he forged, his new 9-track album titled granum, via Théque Records. The creative process behind the project is an interesting one. “The goal of the album was for the songs to be part of the whole,” said the composer. “I saw a way to do this: if the album is recorded in one play.”

Stream / Download: vaghy – granum

In search of a sonic unification of sorts, vaghy birthed his LP in a single sitting. “The disc was recorded on 05/23/2022 in one recording starting at 10:35. Preparing the album in my head and recording it required so much concentration. I couldn’t sit down to play the instrument for a month after,” he continued. Let’s take a look at the first three tracks on the album and see what they have to offer:

Opening the album is the record ‘mane’, a track with a nice, bright, fairytale-like colouration. There’s a moodiness to the record, a feeling that changes as the record progresses, starting light but gradually darkening. We get the sense that things are shifting, that an adventure is underway, and that we are walking headlong into the unknown, with vaghy setting the course.

‘ortus’ continues the journey, through misty landscapes where trees grow abundantly beneath a mountain of craggy stone and hidden ravines. Like the soundtrack to a Tolkien novel, the track marks the enthusiasm that the protagonist possesses at the start. Where will vaghy lead us, the hero, next?

At first listen, ‘lacuna’ feels optimistic and light, but there is a melancholic undercurrent, a stream of darkness that flows beneath a bridge of ivory notes. Embellished with trills that flutter like butterflies in the light of the Springtime sun, they scatter while storm clouds of minor keys form overhead.

To conclude, let me say this: through the free play between artist and instrument, a new world was born. Having tapped the ether of creativity, vaghy created this world in the dense heat of inspiration, engendering a project that stimulates the imagination.

Listen to granum below:

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Image credit: Norbert Pandur Balogh