MUSIC FOR AFTER ANYTHING is a double CD by Dutch composer and pianist Robert Nasveld. The great artwork includes very informative booklet with photos and liner notes written by the composer himself that open the door to his creative laboratory. MUSIC FOR AFTER ANYTHING is made up of diverse compositions that basically explore the possibilities of the piano and present a panoramic view on the historic development of the instrument. Nevertheless, piano is not the only instrument on show here. The core of the composition PREPARATIONS FOR COMA is the chirring of a typewriter which is beautifully augmented by the piano bits played by Polo de Haas as well as bass clarinet of Harry Sparnaay. The oldest musical instrument - human voice - dominates in the second track called IMAGINATIONS I. The three-minute track TRIPLUM (perhaps, the most mesmerizing number of the bunch) simply takes your breath away with its magical energy. The composition consists of three separate parts and is performed by the Utrecht Chamber Choir. A subtle shift of view is perceivable in the title track that opens the second disc. It lets you see the new sides of already known phenomenon and situations. This is music of impressions, granting the epilogues with the life of the main story, turning the after word into the linking plot. This after, or the subtlest aftertaste is brought into focus here. The shift of view also results in our changed perception of the episodes of life. The list of these episodes is also included in the booklet and it numbers 22 occupations, events and states: having one?s teeth cleaned, a visit to the social worker, learning of a grant refusal etc.Space and time are the dimensions in which the composer operates, taking them to a special level - the one of the newborn sonic fantasy. Exceptionally beautiful music, although its beauty is not pastoral, but contradictory, unstable, disturbing, capable of stimulating all spiritual forces of the listener. Going through all levels of music, taking in all of its moods, infiltrating its body, we acquire our own versatile experience which is not only musical. For lovers of modern classical music MUSIC FOR AFTER ANYTHING will be a valuable buy.

Filled with piercing whale screams, their invisible proximity, the album «Grooved Whales» by Canadian violinist and composer Lisa Walker is an esthetically complete picture of primordial being, realized via animal world. There are no misty images or thickened colours in Lisa’s creative work. Instead it’s filled with universal and expressive perception of the world. The key to understanding Lisa’s philosophy lies in the correlation of herself with the natural world, because she’s not placing herself above nature. In the album «Grooved Whales» nature doesn’t appear as something individual and subjectively perceivable, it’s the element inspiring pieces of art created by the violinist’s talent. Lisa Walker is a sympathetic observer and an active participant in the ecological processes, hence the true love and respect towards the environment and it’s inhabitants. Lisa doesn’t exploit natural sonic environment during composing to give her music an exotic flair and freshness. After working for many years in the research centre in Alaska she is very drawn to the objects of her love - the Humpback Whales, the theme of this relationship is running through all compositions of the album. Nobleness and natural sensitiveness are the main qualities of «Grooved Whales». The violin parts by Lisa performed underwater combine the refinement and aristocracy of the classical instrument with the softness and virginity of oceanic environment. The relationship «nature - civilization» is viewed from a different angle in the music of Lisa, where man is not the king of nature, but one of its numerable atoms. «Grooved Whales» provides you with valuable psychological experience, akin to the experience of Gulliver’s transformation of conscience after he left the land of Lilliputians and found himself on the Island of Giants.

The theme of the tragic fate of Yugoslavia is like a red line crossing the creative work of the trio D’Divaz founded in 1998. The trio participants Milica Paranosic, Danijela Popovic and Aleksandra Vojcic are all Yugoslavian but the girls have been living apart from their native land for about ten years now. The Julliard School graduates reside in New York without ignoring their roots, though. They support their people not only throughout their work but also via charity concerts. D’Divaz is a unique band, because their activities cannot be filed under academic electronic music, nor can they be labeled as ?downtown music’ or the so-called club music. Their music has grown with the integration of both, evolving into a unique genre. This genre could be personified by the image of a crystal palace on the basement made of firm material tested by time. Their first and by far only album was released in 2000. The debut, nevertheless, doesn’t let to file the girls as ?novices’. They started their musical education already in Yugoslavia, continuing to study after moving to New York. At the moment Aleksandra and Milica work as teachers in Julliard School while Danijela is a pianist of the Girls Choir of Harlem. The creative energy of Milica who is the leader and inspiration for the group feeds the collective but the band’s integrity is the result of equal partnership between three outstanding individuals. There are at least a few elements that make the trio so unforgettable: their connection with the folk roots of their country, the free and harmonic expression of three female individuals, the harmonic mix between classical music, academic electronica and progressive avant-garde stylings and the last, but not least, the constant presence of strong civil position and humanistic roots. The album of D’Divaz wasn’t self-titled by chance, because it fully reflects the inner worlds of the participants as well as their emotional experiences. Even without any video image, the listener’s imagination will switch on the associations connected with the situation in Yugoslavia. One cannot exclude the political aspect when getting into D’Divaz’ creative work, because it works like a carcass that holds the artistic tissue of compositions. The album lasts a bit less than an hour, consisting of rather short compositions, none of them sounding the same. The mutated world of D’Divaz seems logical and structured in comparison with the objective reality. It’s filled with natural human drama. All music is intended to be performed on two pianos and is enriched by synthesized lines, and, in some compositions, percussion, drums and electric guitar, plus the obligatory injections of the superb free-floating primordial vocals in it’s electronic and instrumental flow. Despite the diversity found on this album, the tone is already set by the first composition «Crne Oci». It’s beginning sends the listener straight back to folky cries - the lengthy female singing is the prelude and the background for this composition. The stiff metallic strings with their thunderous sound announce the beginning of the generous summer rain - the insinuating piano lines, assisted by electronic noises. The beginning of the second composition «Go / Kolo» is quite insinuating as well, but you shouldn’t relax yet, the tension builds as we progress and when it reaches the apogee, it will evolve into a wonderful and completely scintillating dynamic melody. The next five tracks make up the series called «Nobody’s» which is shifting between polar moods - from quiet sadness to furious protest, from total numbness to sparkling inspiration. Everything is stirred as one single cocktail of tears, optimism and the intuitive hope. The longest composition on the CD called «Panasonic» is also the most colourful one as well as the most diverse. It’s something that could be called miniature instrumental electronic symphony. According to this definition «Panasonic» can be divided into parts. The first part is intriguing and exciting, taking on a «talk» between two pianos growing into real argument on top of synth washes and noises. Upon reaching a point where all discrete impressions and recollections flow into one single consciousness flux the music segues into the second part which is very lyrical and sad, where troubles of the past are revived and the bleeding wounds of the present open up for you to see. The third part denies desperation, though. It’s the impersonation of the inner force and of longing for life. The expression and unbelievable eloquence of the composition is reached by means of its dissonant scale. The next composition «S’X» develops in a slow and intriguing way. A half perceivable piano theme is joined by the mournful synthesizer drone, reminding of whales crying or the distant boat whistle, like a dam holding in the emotional waves. Gently flowing, thin musical lines slowly become twisted. A brief heady dance with its passion and significance reminds of Argentinian tango. It’s the culmination of this gem, the denouement being the same weightless melody that was featured in the beginning of the track. A generally the same scenario is used for the 11th and 12th compositions, only this time with greater sharpness. They’re called «Boo-bah / go» and «Saran» and essentially they are one single piece, because no intermission and no pause can be found in between. The main nerve of the music remains the piano, whose quietness is interrupted by the crazy drum rhythm that instigates explosive reactions. The composition is untwined like a shiny merry-go-round and the offensive movement never ceases until the very end. During the finale, the sparse and uneasy atmosphere takes on a quirky and clear stance, constructed from private experience and the rich cultural heritage of the people. The name of the final track, «D’Divaz», is self-describing. The composition resumes the album while stating the artistic credo of musicians. The coziness of the forest during daylight, the proximity of the all-understanding ground, the caressing of the wind and the fragrance of wild flowers are felt in this composition. The wisdom and beauty of nature are the basis for this music. Bird’s chirping is a guide of faith, the symbol of unity for everything that exists, the gentle voicing of the peace, concealing the hysteria of war - every kind of war, be it near or far, political or individual - it’s always totally senseless and unnatural. The atmosphere of the primeval purity absorbs all the troubles and pain of human existence. The ringing laugh of the performers as well as their native speech are the link between dream and reality. That’s what the final chord of this talented and diverse work is like. The unlucky fate of the D’Divaz’ native land are the leit-motif of all their creative work, but it’s inspired by the light and the warmth of ancient traditions. When listening to the disc one cannot help but feel the complicity with the once flourished nation. The pathos of D’Divaz is that of the burning national self-consciousness, never fading away even when being so far away from native land. Their music is full of reflection of general human character that touch every thinking person irrespective of his place of living.

The album «Polus» released in 2001 is a stunning example of psycho-acoustic music. Creators of the album - the trio Portable Palace do not limit themselves to just the acoustic media. Instead, they employ various chemical reactions and optical phenomena that nature is so rich in. The music on this CD is only one side of Portable Palace’s activities. Close the windows, leave yourself to your own devices, concentrate and insert this CD. This is the only way to notice all the nuances of musical compositions found on «Polus». The sound on the very brink of human perception, never fading out completely while never developing it into a crescendo, without any jumps or frantic rhythms. The long curve of otherworldly energy is constantly crossing the composition cutting out anew the settled outlook. So, the lightning must exist. The primordial energy of the Cosmos. It leaves its stamp in the eyes of those who have seen it, like a permanent photograph stuck in one’s memory. The real event with a definitive form gains mythological shades in the music of Portable Palace. This is not a punishment or a sign from heaven telling us about the imminent apocalypse. It’s the encyphered message to the world, concealed by its own shell. The strictly underlined electrical zigzag that has ripped through the sky and is now hurrying towards the earth with the need of a quick kiss. The visual flight of this rocket lightning lasts for a few seconds, nevertheless, it holds another dimension within itself, where the seconds will last for an hour. An hour of musical metamorphoses and transfiguration. An hour of an alluring diffusion of the sacred and the profane, the serenity and the passion, the suffering and the purification, the anxiety and the tranquility, the languor and the sweet bliss. Its falling is not useless, because the finale will occur as the union of all earthly elements. It will be the time of universal harmony and the final crystallization of the ideas but the listener is here to finish off this moment with his/her thoughts. «Polus» is only a way to the truth, but it should be traveled very carefully, not missing any little change. The cosmic sound of «Polus» is a concentrated expression of the participants’ inner worlds, a musical projection of three separate individuals - those of Alexander Kalin, Eveline Domnic and Dmitriy Gelfand, hence the three-dimensional feel and the fullness of sound. The cold suspension is laid on top of the squelching surface of the dwelled landscape as the air is filled with the enveloping mist of cavernous silence. The clearness and pastoral gentleness, run through electronic millstones, is turned into a diamond-field of coloured pieces, and each piece filters the magnetic light of celestial bodies. That’s why with all of its strictness «Polus» doesn’t feel empty and homeless. It’s akin to the initiation process after which the world is never the same again.

Nicola Tesla, The godfather of electricity became the figure that served as an inspiration for the trio Portable Palace to create their «Emit» album. The album includes 8 compositions, united organically by the theme of electricity, presenting itself via sound on this record. «When I close my eyes the first thing I see is a plane dark blue background similar to the color of the clear starless sky. In several seconds this picture is revived by numerous shimmering green sparks, approaching me layer by layer. After that the right side is lit by a beautiful decoration consisting of two parallel systems of tight right-angle lines. These lines are brightly colored but the dominating colors are yellow-green and golden. The lines are immediately increased in brightness and everything sparkles with shimmering portions of light. This whole picture slowly passes through my field of vision...», - these are the words that Tesla used to describe his imagination in action while coining his next invention. And this is the picture that comes to life with the first sounds of «Emit». Head-spinning whirlpools, sea tides, sand dunes rich with shell pearls, whispering of the wind and the diversity of living world follow. Everything seen through alien eyes. The galactic evaporation of earthly dwelling, the round and spiky figures fill the space of «Emit». Various rumbles are seamlessly integrated with ordinary sounds wrapping the listener with the light shroud. Moon shimmerings of the daylight, the voices stretched, coming from the outside, The plasma spheres of raindrops - this is the vision of the world seen through this synthetic shroud. The spinning of atoms and molecules becomes audible. The secrets of creation are not known yet but each single second of «Emit» draws you nearer to the final solution. The last composition «Data Link» fades out - one pressing of the «repeat» button - and you’re in the beginning once again. The beginning of the CD, but not that of understanding. The understanding develops along the spiral and becomes clearer and fuller with each coil (or listening). Is it the Jacob’s stairway ultimately leading to God? «When an idea appears it is immediately finished off by my imagination: I change the construction, «switch on» the device while bringing it to perfection, making it alive in my head. In a similar way I’m capable of bringing the idea to perfection without even touching anything. Only then I give the final shape to this product of my brain. All of my inventions worked in such way...» - Tesla, the «inspired prophet of electricity» wrote. «Emit» stimulates the listeners imagination in building complex and whimsical constructions of biblical stairway and who knows, maybe one day comes the hour when this ideal image finally materializes.