Bureau B is a boutique label that, in between new releases, has been tirelessly reissuing little-known albums from the German experimental music realm since 2007. Its most recent selection is Hans-Joachim Roedelius' 1987 solo piano album, Momenti Felici, which I have had on repeat since finally hearing it 24 years after release.
Momenti Felici opens with "Im Frühtau," which utilizes a two-note pulse derived from krautrock, then overlays resonant piano chords and synthesizer tones. Unlike most of his work with Cluster, Eno and Harmonia, though, it is Roedelius' piano playing that forms the album's backbone. He hangs onto a somber, reflective tone throughout the album, but also paints with a colorful palette. The rich saxophone playing on "Guten Morgen" and "Pas De Deux," courtesy of Alexander Czjzek, is a treat, swelling to fill out the empty space between piano chords. The sprawling ambient drift of "Über Den Wolken," on the other hand, is deeply immersive—and, amazingly, was put to tape a decade before Stars of the Lid would begin to explore similar territory.
Roedelius is equally engaging when he allows his piano playing to shine without accompaniment. He generally plays with more force when he is not competing for space, as on the rollicking descent of chords on "Aufgewacht" or the incisive, rhythmic "Anima Mundi." With the passion Roedelius fires up on these solo tracks, I can envision him under a spotlight on stage, sitting at his grand piano, focused yet full of energy, doing his best to wow those who showed up to hear him that evening.
Once the album winds to a close, Bureau B has included three previously unheard tracks on which Roedelius' piano becomes a touch more contemplative. The standout is the second piece, "Vor Ohren"—I'm not sure what sort of electroacoustic instruments Roedelius has chosen alongside his piano, but the juxtaposition is momentous, electric, and unlike anything on Momenti Felici. Bonus tracks aside, Bureau B has done the album justice with this reissue: the production is sharp, detailed and full of life, and the original artwork is handsomely replicated for a new generation of listeners.
Momenti Felici is by no means Roedelius' most challenging or avant-garde work, nor necessarily his most inventive. Unfortunately, his solo recordings are hardly mentioned alongside his stone-cold classics with Cluster and Harmonia. Perhaps it's time for a broad reevaluation: after over a decade of immersing myself in his better-known classics, I have found myself blindsided by this album—and eager to dig into Roedelius' solo catalog.
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