Simon Ghraichy 33

After his successful debut album “Heritages”, the French pianist Simon Ghraichy is back with a new album: “33”.

The 33 year old has a reputation of being “the craziest” of all French pianists. He shakes his life in all directions and now presents his personal selection of music, including two world premiere recordings, commissioned by Simon himself: Chilly Gonzales’s Robert on the Bridge and Jacopo Baboni Schilingi’s HUGE.

The central piece of his new album is the Humoreske, op.20, by Schumann: a series of seven short sections, whose musical texture and emotional tones vary widely and differ greatly between the sections. In the second part of the piece Schuman opened up the typical double-staffed score to include a third staff, the middle of which contains a solo voice marked “innere Stimme” (inner voice). Schumann intended this “internal/inner voice” to be seen but not played by the pianist, to appeal not only to the ears, but the eyes as well!