Peach Blossom

Polish composer Piotr Kurek returns to Mondoj with ‘Peach Blossom’, an album centered around sung and synthesised vocal harmonies, showcasing the composer’s gentle, uncanny approach to vocal treatments and arrangements. Pairing the vocals of Komi Togbonou and Martin Weigel (both actors of Münchner Kammerspiele) and spoken words by Chinese performer Xiangjie with MIDI and live recordings of various instruments like marimba, flutes, reeds as well as various percussion instruments, the Warsaw-based composer highlights the unique tonal and textural potential of the human voice
The title track perhaps illustrates this approach most strikingly, interweaving wordless layers of vocals that ebb and flow with natural grace. “Breathing” follows with a more abrupt, almost jazz-tinged atmosphere, whereas “Ds / The Moss Beneath” is more orchestral, almost classical in its approach. The centerpiece of the album is the 12-minute opus “Martin Is Crying”, where the interplay between the vocal layers and glockenspiel resembles classic early renaissance music, while adding more range and harmony to the playful tone