All tracks written and performed by Chris Fitkin

Recorded at Townshend Village Hall

Cover image by Chris Fitkin

A sense of space is a defining feature of Chris Fitkin’s latest music – a sense of space that evokes something on the border of peace and loss. Yet this heartfelt atmosphere is informed by a clear, disciplined and sophisticated structure.

Chris’s earlier compositional style was tonal and tended towards what many identify as minimalism. Works from this period include Cage (six pianos), 100 Measures and Flowing Forms.

Then, after a lengthy break from music, Chris started composing again in 2015. His work from this time onwards is more astringent harmonically and is often – but not always – economical, low in note density and quiet in volume. In fact, in many ways it is more genuinely minimal than his earlier output.

His latest compositions include Serpen Sonatas for solo woodwinds, Atata for violin and piano, DISPERSION for kantele, Othata for piano and string quartet, and Lines From The Renaissance for cello and piano. These pieces use all 12 notes of the chromatic scale, split into hexachords. The hexachords are subject to different levels of processing, some being more formalised and others more free form.

Chris also continues to add to a large catalogue of solo piano music, with Now Songs completed and recorded in 2022.

The extraordinary sound worlds Chris has created with these pieces are both restrained and transparent. They are informed by an acute aural sensitivity, and a commitment to atmosphere and emotion. This is balanced by a fascination with planning and structure, and for all its apparent freedom and ease this is music sculpted with thought and consideration. And yet rhythmic activity and excitement often emerges from the peaceful emptiness.

fitkinmusic.com