Solastalgia
Edition of 400 vinyls.
All music composed and performed by Frederik Croene
Outer sleeve concept, artwork and pictures by Karl Van Welden
Cover: intl. maritime signal flag L, silkscreened 11-21.07.2022
Side 1:
I. Diamond Princess, February 2020, Yokohama - Japan
II. Reno, March 2021, Ghent - Belgium
Side 2:
III. World Dream, March 2018, Chai Wan - Hong Kong
IV. Chronesthesia, July 2012, Naples - Italy
Vessels promise an escape from responsibilities towards the landscape, they facilitate our avoidance of conscientiously feeling our attachment to the mainland. The visual nothingness of deep water and clean horizons fools the brain and delivers a treacherous feeling of independence.
We ignore the truths expressed by landscapes, so we mould them into urban projects for our strange desires. We clean up the irrationalities by which nature constructs itself. Then we look up to the skies, where the abstractions we have to draw in our minds should reside and inspire us.
We peer into the various shades of blue above the waters, the emptiness guarantees possibilities of our abstractions becoming realities. The apathetic stare into neat, straight horizons transforms our ancestral landscape into dirt and danger, when looking back to it.
To be on a ship under quarantine is an upside down experience, for the promised escape has turned into a forced paralysis. The Lima flag (• — • •, in morse code), presented on the outer sleeve of this record, indirectly demands of all passengers to stay aboard and contemplate their escape from the land they now desire to return to.
These four piano pieces could be considered as a classical sonata (allegro-adagio-scherzo-rondo). In a recital they are accompanied by four video pieces by artist Karl Van Welden. We picked the videos out of his extensive archive, choosing images intuitively while listening to the piano music. The theme of ships relating to quarantine thus came unannounced but of course, we were in the middle of the pandemic at the time.
Solastalgia was already waiting as a title for the new album before march 2020. I first came across the word in ‘Underland’, a book by Robert Macfarlane (2019). He defines the word as “The unhappiness of people whose landscapes are being transformed about them by forces beyond their control”. These forces and this unhappiness are, I believe, what constitutes the modern human.
Frederik Croene (August 2022)
Ipnopedion
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Music by Timo van Luijk & Frederik Croene.
Edition of 300 copies on transparent vinyl, with printed insert.
Side 1:
Ipnopedion
Side 2:
Taetonia
On the frigid moonless night of December 6th, 1978, a 26 year-old night watchman named Pier Zanfretta was on a routine patrol in the village of Torriglia, where he stumbled into a horrifying encounter with aliens from Taetonia. In order to get more clarity about what happened that night Pier Zanfretta agreed to undergo hypnosis, to let his subconscious speak about his abduction by these aliens. As his discours under hypnosis sounded uncannily musical and mesmerizing, even without understanding the words, it became the basis of this Ipnopedion album.
For the recording of the title track Ipnopedion (side 1) Zanfretta’s speech was played back on headphones, then phonetically reproduced by FC and TVL, lying down in darkness as being hypnotised. Apart from this transposed text only piano and a few hypnosis inducing atmospherics and spatialisations were added. The Taetonia track (side 2) opens with a naieve and enticing piano play slowly being beamed into a vacuum void towards Taetonia. As Zanfretta’s words were vague it remained unclear what happened in Taetonia but things certainly had changed… Ipnopedion became a ritual invitation to withdraw from the concrete world, returning to it as uncanonical aliens from Taetonia.
Cul de Sac
Music and performance by Frederik Croene.
Sleeve design and concept by Karl Van Welden.
500 unique numbered copies on 180 gram vinyl.
Each sleeve has a different ink imprinted tire track.
One wheel of the car drove into ink before imprinting a tire track on every blank sleeve used for the album cover.
Meanwhile Frederik Croene played the Cul de Sac pieces on a piano mounted on the back of the car, thus augmenting pressure, making the imprint more clear.
“His expressive concentration at the keyboard is worthy of Sviatoslav Richter broaching a Beethoven sonata. Yet irony pervades the late-flowering romanticism and spumy surges of the opening movement of this solo excursion. An anachronism, like Don Quixote rewritten by Pierre Menard in the well-known story by Jorge Luis Borges, a faithful replica but out of joint with its time. Croene has put a deconstructed piano through its paces on a previous release, yet here the reconstituted instrument beckons to its own golden age. On the sleeve he identifies his own striving for virtuosity as a symptom of yearning for lost accord with the natural world. The second movement finds such nostalgia dispersed through cycles of languid repetition, while the third steers his diminished creative drive towards a conceptual dead end.” — The Wire, July ’19
Side 1:
Cul de Sac I & II
Side 2:
Cul de Sac III & IV
Further reading: Autobiographical notes on Cul de Sac
Fortune de Mer
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Music by Timo van Luijk & Frederik Croene.
Edition of 300 copies.
Cover image by Victor Hugo.
Layout by Meeuw.
In 9 sequences Fortune de Mer describes the power and beauty of dramatic fate, the irreversible. Like a clause of force majeure, an unforeseen one way trip to the desperate bottom. After losing the long battle nothing is left, only acceptance and resignation.
Side 1:
Récit du Capitaine
Le Rencontre
Cale de l’Oreille
Le Chœur Engloutie
Epilogue de la Sirène
Side 2:
Naufrage Terrien
L’Explication Maritime
Fortune de Mer
La Ballade d’Amalthée
MARS II, the vinyl
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Album concept by Karl Van Welden.
Composition by Frederik Croene, Vincent Malstaf and Karl Van Welden.
Music performed by Frederik Croene on an automated piano (1969, Kawai S-500 with QRS).
Recorded and mastered by Yannick Willox.
Album advice by Dirk Deblauwe and Timo van Luijk.
Graphic design by Dirk Deblauwe.
Produced by Metaphon and wpZimmer.
Coproduced by C-TAKT.
Thanks to the Royal Observatory of Belgium.
With the support of Wilde Westen.
2LP set in hardboard gatefold with black linen and embossed print.
34 page booklet with extensive notes (in English), scores, illustrations and graphics.
MARS II, the vinyl contains the music composed for MARS II, the performance.
MARS II, the vinyl is an edition of 300 copies, numbered and signed. The first 10 are accompanied by The Volcano Prints, a limited, numbered and signed series of 3 prints.
Released 16 March 2018 during the exhibition The Volcano Notes at Gouvernement, Ghent (BE).
In MARS II Karl Van Welden explores the impact of volcanic ash on the performance of pianist Frederik Croene and the sound he produces, playing on an automated piano. MARS II examines a moment of catastrophe and the pianist’s reactions to drastic changes in his environment. At the outset, volcanic ash particles fall gently and harmlessly. After a while, the amount of dark volcanic ash raining down on the musician and his instrument increases exponentially, slowly but surely transforming the sound and the image. An exploration of the contrasting effects between a moment of bliss, the strike of disaster, and its aftermath.
Further reading: Mars II, about the score
F.C. Me Fecit
Music written and performed by Frederik Croene.
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Christophe Albertijn – Studio Les Ateliers Claus.
Produced by B.A.A.D.M. & Frederik Croene.
Recorded under stormy clouds in August 2015 at St. Peter’s church in Gent, Belgium.
Organ built by Pierre Van Peteghem (1847–48).
Album design by Mathieu Serruys & Joris Verdoodt.
Published in collaboration with Grafische Cel / LUCA School of Arts, campus St-Lucas Visual Arts Gent.
Funded by research unit Image.
The reciting of vows, the exchange of rings, the nuptial blessing: the Catholic rite of marriage centers around well-structured passages of a sacramental nature. When Frederik Croene was asked to rethink the musical settings for a wedding mass of a couple of friends, he got intrigued by the challenge of playing the Van Peteghem organ at St. Peter’s Church in Gent. The family of its creator Pierre Van Peteghem was famous in the Romantic period for their exquisite organ constructions.
Impressed by Croene’s exploration of the Van Peteghem organ, B.A.A.D.M. invited him to return to this massive instrument for a recording of his battle with the registers of pipes and pedals. F.C. Me Fecit is the result of hours of variations high up in the organ loft of the St. Peter’s Church. Recorded during stormy weather, this album reflects the different moods instilled by the idea of an eternal alliance between people. Alternately connecting and disconnecting with the organ, Croene’s polluted chords unfold a world of archaic aesthetics and romantic ambiguity.
In the split universe of both album sides of F.C. Me Fecit (a deliberate wink to artistic mastery), Croene tames the organ and puts you under its spell.
Side 1:
11.08.2015
12.08.2015
Side 2:
13.08.2015
Le Piano Démécanisé
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Music by Frederik Croene.
Sleeve design by Joris Verdoodt.
Recorded by Frederik Croene.
Liner notes by Frederik Croene.
Pressed in an edition of 500.
Le Piano Démécanisé is a vinyl album with music played on a dismantled piano. The release of the album goes in tandem with the publication of the new issue of rtrsrch magazine, in which Frederik Croene presents the text accompanying the LP.
Side 1:
Réanimation Forcée
Amour Éternel
Toccata Cardiaque
Side 2:
Poil Palliatif
Gonflammation
Animation Gériatrique
Postludium Pour Le Piano
Futher reading: Le Piano Démécanisé
Sturm und Drang
Music by Mozart, Beethoven & Schumann.
Performed by Frederik Croene, piano.
Recorded by Yannick Willox.
Graphic design by Gino Bulcke & Joris Verdoodt.
Liner notes by Christiaan Delannoy.
Tracks:
1-3. Sonate in a, KV 310 (W.A. Mozart)
4-6. Sonate in C op. 53, Waldstein (L.v. Beethoven)
7-11. Sonate nr. 2 in g op. 22 (R. Schumann)
Voile au vent
Music by Timo van Luijk & Frederik Croene.
Edition of 400 copies.
Recorded and mixed at Kulta Saha 2008–2009.
“The work that involves Timo van Luijk is always presented in the best possible way. No pennies are saved to make sure the listener has something great (literally in the shape of a LP) in his hands. No cheap, easy CD, but a small piece of art. Not that these art pieces provide you with much information. Voile Au Vent for instance just states the names of Van Luijk and Frederik Croene, when and where it was recorded and the name of the label, but nothing much else. Of Van Luijk we know he plays trumpet, electronics, toys and such like, and Croene, we learn somewhere else, is a piano player. Over the years Van Luijk has moved in his solo and collaborative work towards more traditional forms of improvised music. While he is responsible for the electronic part of it, always loose and free, waving just above the ground, the other player, a pianist in this case, places both of them on the ground with his playing. Although I must say that it seems to me here that Croene is also using electronics in his music. Four pieces are played here of which one … Pour Que Le Vent … has a regular rhythm of some kind, and is the most worked out, i.e. composed piece of music, it seems. But all four pieces are equally great I think. A remarkable outsider record, of someone who doesn’t care about trends and such like.” — Frans de Waard, Vital Weekly
Side 1:
Vortex
Libersee
Side 2:
... pour que le Vent ...
Triangle du Diable
Hout
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Concept, compositions, dsp: Esther Venrooy.
Compositions, piano: Frederik Croene.
Recorded at Studio Toots, 2005.
Engineered by Jo Tavernier.
Supervised by Elly Rutten for Klara.
Graphics by Iris Rombouts.
Produced by Esther Venrooy and Han Van Den Hoof for Odradek.
“Are there forests on other planets, transmitting sound waves through the blackened cosmos? It seems like a silly question I suppose, but after listening to Frederik Croene and Esther Venrooy's masterwork, Hout at least two dozen times, I'm left wondering. The eleven compositions that make up this 48 minute album are drenched in a wash of processed, organic sounds. It's a delicate balance that these two handle perfectly. Croene's playing is magical. He is alternately harsh and delicate, blending the two modes in a way I've never heard. Just when you start to feel a warm embrace, he smacks you with an icy anvil. The transition from Grey Alder to Test Transmission is the best example of this. I love it. He's a wizard, concocting sounds and spells like I've never heard. Highly recommended.” — Brad Rose
Tracks:
1. Mikage
2. Grey Alder
3. Test Transmission
4. Truncate Retrograde
5. Flix Vellin
6. Pitch Pine
7. Alaska Fir
8. Flounce
9. Static Carparc
10. Sugar Maple
11. Pine Lodge
Jean-Pierre Waelbroeck
Music by Jean-Pierre Waelbroeck (°1954)
Performed by Frederik Croene, piano.
Recorded by Yannick Willox.
Cover illustration by Ellen Waelbroeck-Hartmann: “PAON”.
Graphic design by Jamila Marwane.
Liner notes by Jean-Pierre Waelbroeck.
Tracks:
1-16. Mobiles (1991–’93)
17-19. Sonate nr 2 (2004)
20-23. Papillons (1983)
Frederik Croene, piano
Music by Bartók, Vodenitcharov, Gyselynck, Scelsi, Craenen, Brahms & Janáček.
Performed by Frederik Croene, piano.
Recorded by Yannick Willox.
Coverillustration by Peter Jonckheere.
Design by Thomas Soete — Cloaca Maxima.
Booklet text by Rudy Tambuyser.
Tracks:
1-3. Sonate (Béla Bartók, 1926)
4. Preludium II (Boyan Vodenitcharov, 1990)
5. For a better world, part II (Franklin Gyselynck, 1987)
6-9. Quattro Illustrazioni (Giacinto Scelsi,1953)
10. Falco Tinnunculus (Paul Craenen, 2000)
11. Intermezzo, Opus 118 nr. 6 (Johannes Brahms, 1894)
12-13. 1.X.1905 (sonate) (Leoš Janáček, 1905)
“Op het jonge label van de Gentse Handelsbeurs verscheen de debuut-cd van de Vlaamse pianist Frederik Croene. Zo’n eerste cd is natuurlijk altijd wel een visitekaartje, maar bij Croene lijkt het een heus statement. Hij brengt geen zoveelste lezing van hoog aangeschreven pianistieke paradepaardjes van Schumann of Chopin, maar kiest ondubbelzinnig voor recent en hedendaags werk. Tussen twee mijlpalen uit het begin van de vorige eeuw in (Bartók's Sonate en Janáceks Sonate 1.X.1905) zitten werken van Boyan Vodenitcharov, Franklin Ghyselynck, Giacinto Scelsi, Paul Craenen en een (in deze context verrassend) fragmentje Brahms geprangd. Croene is duidelijk een pianist met een missie. Bovendien ontpopt hij zich op deze cd als een virtuoze en heel gevoelige vertolker van dit repertoire. Enkel de Sonate van Bela Bartók krijgt van hem een wat te afgemeten, mechanische lezing mee die voor het spontane karakter van de folkloristische ritmiek wat te droog overkomt. Veel bevredigender is zijn aanpak van Janácek, waarin hij met meesterlijk ingehouden gevoel voor drama een broeierige, noodlottige sfeer aanbrengt. De zwevende, mysterieuze arpeggio’s van Vodenitcharov, de expressionistische gedrevenheid van Ghyselynck en de kernachtigheid van Craenen komen trefzeker uit de verf. De grote revelatie is Croenes interpretatie van de Quattro Illustrazioni van Scelsi, waarin hij de vrijblijvende oriëntalismen en de zweverigheid die Scelsi’s broze muziek zo vaak schade berokkenen heel mooi vermijdt en zo de naakte en ongekunstelde schoonheid van deze muziek voor zich laat spreken.” — Maarten Beirens in De Standaard, 27.12.2003
“De jonge Vlaamse pianist Frederik Croene heeft net zijn eerste cd uit. Werken uit verschillende tijdperken en met verschillende geladenheden en uitdrukkingsvormen komen aan bod. Toch is het geen bont allegaartje, integendeel. De cd laat zich beluisteren als een coherent geheel, waarbij de vertelling primeert op de musicologische verbanden. Zijn benadering van Béla Bartóks Sonate is sec, krachtig en vitaal. Boyan Vodenitcharovs Preludium II brengt hij ingetogen, met een licht mystieke, maar niet zwemerige toets. Franklin Gyselynk ontvouwt in zijn For a Better World een rijke klankwereld die door Croene fantasierijk vorm krijgt. De Quattro Illustrazioni van Giacinto Scelsi beklijft door de concentratie en de transparantie, die gekoppeld is aan het poëtische. Falco Tinnunculus van Paul Craenen wordt helder gebracht. Het Intermezzo opus 118/6 van Johannes Brahms krijgt een diepgaande interpretatie. Janáceks Sonate 1.X.1905 ontroert door een strak in de hand gehouden, maar zeer poëtische spanning. Croene zoekt hoorbaar een fundamenteel evenwicht tussen een grondige analyse van de partituur en een authentieke, artistieke uitdrukking ervan. Het gaat om het kunstzinnige van de muziek, niet om het heroïsche van het pianospel.” — Peter-Paul De Temmerman in De Tijd, 10.11.2003