Jürg FREY (Reinier van HOUDT)
“Composer, alone”

‘Composer, alone’ is a collection of twelve solo piano pieces by Swiss composer Jürg Frey, performed by Dutch pianist/composer Reinier van Houdt. It is the sequel to the 2022 triple album ‘lieues d’ombres’ (elsewhere 020-3) and the third collaboration between Frey and van Houdt on elsewhere music. The two have cultivated a close rapport, first documented on ‘l’air, l’instant – deux pianos’ (elsewhere 014) in 2020.

This three-disc set features a wide range of Frey’s solo piano compositions from 1990 to 2024, including his latest piano pieces ‘Composer, alone (1)’ and ‘Composer, alone (2)’. This three-disc album traces Frey’s journey over the past 30 years as he explores his voice as a composer through piano works. It reveals how his compositional style has evolved, while also demonstrating that the underlying essence of his compositions remains consistent.

As a pianist who has a deep connection to the music of Frey, van Houdt skillfully reveals the subtleties hidden in Frey’s compositions, as he did in ‘lieues d’ombres’. Staying true to the composer’s vision, van Houdt captures the essence of Frey’s diverse piano pieces from the past 34 years while achieving a perfect balance between fragility, warmth, and clarity.

All twelve pieces were recorded by Micha de Kanter at the Muziekcentrum van de Omroep (MCO) in Hilversum over three days in September 2024, in the presence of the composer, and mastered by Taku Unami.