Transoceanic by Alfredo Ovalles

I see music as one big ocean, its different styles and genres forming an impressive archipelago. I have always loved sailing from side to side on this ocean, discovering those new and exciting islands. At some point I was alternating between the music of composers like Liszt, Beethoven, and Schubert while playing in a rock band and experimenting with electronic music in my free time. Then, thanks to discovering Frank Zappa’s music, I started going deep into contemporary music. First looking into the works of Béla Bartók, Igor Stravinsky and Edgar Varése, I afterward moved toward the works and ideas of living composers, wanting to explore music next to people I could actually talk to and spend some time with.

My many musical experiences brought me to the point where I wanted to find balance between these islands - to see how close the music of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach is to that of Olivier Messiaen; or how the classical sonata form, a structure whose seeds were planted by C.P.E. Bach in the 18th century, could be taken by Venezuelan composer Federico Ruiz in the late 20th century and infused with tropical rhythms and melodies. I wanted to juxtapose the electroacoustic piece Nikolet Burzyńska wrote especially for me with the music of C.P.E. Bach - to show how contemporary Bach still is, while using Nikolet’s piece to show some of the many ways music continues moving forward, even while still coming from the same place.

This record is only the first of my explorations. There will be more to come.

Venezuelan pianist striving for eclecticism in programming and bridging the gap between contemporary music and standard classical repertoire.

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