Seeking refuge in grueling times - Ephrem Lüchinger uses music and finds a way in the form of a piano diary to deal with the corona crisis artistically / mentally. He records a piano piece every day during the lockdown. Because art never stands still.
"A piano that has survived all crises is the ideal instrument to get through them."
- Ephrem Lüchinger
The piano is 130 years old - the action starts spontaneously between boiling water and throwing in spaghetti.
On March 14, 2020, Ephrem Lüchinger recorded the first piece of his piano diary - at a time when art has come to a social standstill in many respects, but is becoming an outlet for musicians and artists to process the situation hopefully.
The pianist, film composer and producer, who at normal times acts as a permanent member of Whistler & Hustler, Heidi Happy, Neil Sugarman’s Soulpleasers or Dieter Meier's Out of Chaos Band, uses the time to express his own mood in a musically honest and unadorned manner.
«It was not about perfection or musical complexity, rather it should be short, coherent pieces that could free you from fear and anxiety for moments. Almost my musical counterpart to social distancing.»
The piano diary does not reveal the exertion and impotence that the corona crisis left behind for musicians - rather, it creates space for contemplation, understanding and confidence. They are short compositions that reflect the feelings of many creative people. The music sounds thoughtful ("After looking at my concert schedule"), the next day melancholy ("When I remembered my last concert"), angry
("Maybe after a phone call with the social security agency"), abandoned ("Like the streets and squares in those days"), conciliatory, occasionally humorous ("Probably after I saw a Federal Council press conference"), confused (" After too long social media fakenews consumption »), sometimes comforting, sometimes threatening (« Like the daily pictures of doctors in full gear »), sometimes combative (« Now more than ever, even without state help! »).
They are compositions of urgency, an inner life that turns outside. And all in all they seem like the end of a farewell era.
During the lockdown, a selection of 22 melodies was created that spontaneously invented one; Ephrem Lüchinger has already written other pieces for films and adapted them for the piano - each recorded and filmed in one take. And they hit a nerve: They were not only popular with creative artists and friends, but also found their way into Andrea Staka's short film "My mom, my son and me" and into the Neue Zürcher Zeitung under the title "Musicians play the Lockdown Blues »and in the permanent loop of a large retailer.
"The small, daily diary entries seemed to inspire other creative people, and that gave me hope."
Very special thanks to:
Anet Zemp, Serafin and Liv for everything, Domi Huber for the beautiful cover, Manu Rindlisbacher for the exquisite sound mix,
Thomas Lüchinger and Samuel Kellenberger for the great videos,
Micha Scherrer for the photos, Niklaus Buehler from Irascible for the promo, Chris Niemeyer and everyone at Plan B Film, Andrea Staka,
all those who liked and commented on the videos on my social channels and, of course, the popkredit of the city of Zurich for financial support. Thank you!
credits
released June 26, 2020
Ephrem Luechinger - Piano
Manu Rindlisbacher - Mix&Mastering
Coverart - Domi Huber
Videos - Samuel Kellenberger, Thomas Lüchinger (Roses for you Film)
All Songs written by: Ephrem Lüchinger except "01/04/2020" by Stefan Rusconi/Ephrem Lüchinger
The Whistler&Hustler Session, is brimming with rhythmic brio and melodic wit. Referencing all kinds of great and greatly-not-so-great moments of popular culture. Ephrem Luechinger
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