This sheet music book contains the complete piano subscription of Pieter de Graaf's album 'Fermata'. All transcriptions are overseen by Pieter de Graaf himself.
TRACKLIST:
1. A Minor Story
2. Maximilian's Masterplan
3. Deep Blue
4. Hide and Seek
5. Lullaby
6. Charlotte's Daydream
7. The Wizard
8. Woke Up Wandering
9. Okay
10. Rise and Shine
11. Prologue
ABOUT FERMATA:
Fermata is the first result of Pieter de Graaf’s search for musical meaning and depth. It is de Graaf’s debut project and the birth of a new talent in the neo-classical world. “Cinematic,” he replies when asked about the direction he had in his head, and there’s an epic grandeur to many of the tracks. “I have always written music” de Graaf explains, “but with Fermata, I felt that I could do so much more than just being a pianist, so I thought: ‘Why shouldn’t I try?’”
The songs aren’t “written” in any traditional sense; instead he plays and improvises segments, records them, and listens back over and over before deciding what to use, what to discard, and what to embellish. That’s why Fermata is a project instead of an album; many songs are already recorded but he cherishes the freedom to keep pushing boundaries and creating. “It’s an exciting time to be an artist, there are so many inspiring ways to record, perform, and release your music.” No stone was left unturned in being guided by what the song required – he traveled North to record a church organ, wrote a score for a choir of four sopranos, and enlisted the help of friends and colleagues at Kytopia, the music collective in Utrecht that housed his studio at the time.
Romantic in nature – the influence of Chopin and Rachmaninov – the songs veer from quiet contemplation to sweeping arcs of majesty. Sad little moments of solitude are sprinkled throughout, and it’s here where de Graaf excels; notes hang in the air, allowing emotions to swirl around beneath them. Some songs ebb and flow like the tide, building into gorgeous swells before slinking away towards the horizon, and there’s a sense of closeness to the music, of spiritual immediacy that’s a very deliberate effect. “I record loud and play soft,” he says. “It brings the listener into the song.”
