Autumn 2025 - Label Klarthe
It was only natural that the music of composers Gabriel Field and Sharad Goulam would become the focus of a collaborative album. As longtime friends, both trained in Paris under the same masters (Stéphane Delplace and Anthony Girard) and having already shared the stage, they are united by a deep mutual respect and a shared vision for contemporary music. Together, they decided to dedicate their first album to solo piano that emphasize their contrasts and convergences.
It seemed therefore inevitable for twin pianists Fiona and Chiara Alaimo — brilliant musicians trained in Brussels and Paris, already recognized internationally both as soloists and as a piano duo — to be drawn to this project dedicated to their instrument. Given the freedom to choose the pieces they would perform, they infused the music with their own unique artistic sensibilities, highlighting both their shared instincts and their individual voices — much like the two composers themselves.
Two composers, two pianists — similarities and differences intertwined — all coming together in a singular project. Echo(s) offers listeners a journey through the inner worlds of Gabriel Field and Sharad Goulam, brought to life by the artistry of the Alaimo sisters.
Both composers write in languages rooted in tonality and modality, blending harmonic subtlety with a constant search for expressive dissonance. Their music draws emotional depth from the hidden sorrows of the soul, giving their works a universal and profoundly human quality.
Despite these commonalities, each composer’s musical and personal journey remains distinct, revealing their individual artistic voices. In this album, Goulam’s works display a fiery virtuosity and a passionate thematic drive — from the relentless energy of Toccata furiosa to the unstoppable harmonic flow of Prelude V. His Marche, with its introspective and painfully contrapuntal nature, finds echoes in the dark atmosphere of the Deux Nocturnes, whose sonorities occasionally evoke a mysteriously folkloric and dreamlike world, as in the Arabesque.
Field’s music offers a contrasting landscape: the gentle intimacy of the Quatre Berceuses and the tender clarity of Péché d’époque stand in stark contrast to the bleak irony and austere despair of his Trois pièces joyeuses, works imbued with profound sadness. His Huit Chorals (taken from a larger collection spanning two volumes of twenty-four chorales each) employs sophisticated counterpoint to express a wide range of emotions, enriched by colorful harmonies.
Learn more about Gabriel Field and Sharad Goulam:
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