Erik Lotichius: Anaitalrax (25 Virtuosic Piano Studies) Ralph van Raat

• Erik Lotichius (b. 1929): Anaitalrax:
• 1 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 1, Poco allegro 06:09
• 2 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 2, Vivace 05:29
• 3 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 3, Andante. Dedicated to Roelof B. 03:05
• 4 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 4, Allegrissimo. Dedicated to Ernst Has 03:16
• 5 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 5, Moderato 05:36
• 6 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 6, Allegro non troppo (Ragtime) 05:04
• 7 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 7, Allegro moderato 06:02
• 8 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 8, Andante. Dedicated to Hantzen van H.H. 04:24
• 9 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 9, Allegro 05:34
• 10 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 10, Andante. Dedicated to Martin R. 03:44
• 11 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 11, Vivace. Per Alessandro M. 04:37
• 12 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 12, Grazioso. Dedicated to Hans & Yvonne L.-v.G. 05:21
• 13 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 13, Allegro 04:17
• 14 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 14, Allegro non troppo 05:09
• 15 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 15, Dedicated to Ralph van Raat 07:09
• 16 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 16, Allegrissimo. Dedicated to Hans Hemeryck 05:07
• 17 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 17, Moderato. Dedicated to Eliane Rodrigues 02:52
• 18 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 18, Comodo. Dedicated to Ernst Has 04:07
• 19 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 19, Comodo 03:35
• 20 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 20, Moderato 05:45
• 21 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 21, Allegro 04:13
• 22 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 22, Vivace 03:52
• 23 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 23, Veloce 01:19
• 24 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 24, Tranquillo. For Hantzen, this last one 07:07
• 25 Lotichius: Anaitalrax: No. 16bis. Moderato. Dedicated to Ernst Has 05:45
• Total Runtime 01:58:38

Info for Erik Lotichius: Anaitalrax (25 Virtuosic Piano Studies)

With the release of Erik Lotichius‘s two-hour long Anaitalrax cycle, Solaire Records focuses on the personal trials and tribulations of a unique artist in a tragic phase in music history. Performed integrally for the first time by esteemed pianist Ralph van Raat, they place the focus on the work of a gifted composer who fell victim to the politicisation and dehumanisation of the arts in the 60s and 70s. In these 25 pieces, Lotichius reveals himself most openly, shedding light on an artist who was as inspired by melancholia and elegance as he was by playfulness and humour.

Both the music and the expansive, 44-page liner notes look back on a time in the Dutch and international music scene when composers were given the choice between surrendering to the demands of atonalism or living in complete isolation. Lotichius could never force himself to do the former, but found it hard to live with the latter. His biography is filled with scenes of despair – from years spent in vain trying to get his works performed in public to physical violence from audience members to the moment he put out some of his most accomplished works for garbage disposal. Although his oeuvre would later find an audience as part of a return of harmony and melody in the 90s, he would never find wider recognition during his lifetime.

Anaitalrax feels like an intimate look back on these episodes and stories. Envisioned as a tribute to one of his favourite composers, Domenico Scarlatti, he wrote the music in short bursts of energy over the course of his entire life, turning them into his personal musical biography. These pieces document his diverse and changing interests, which included the structures and harmonies of the classical masters from Mozart via Ravel to Bartók as well as elements from popular music. Although he expressed himself in string quartets, preludes, symphonies, songs, operas and musicals, no other work in his oeuvre reveals the man behind the music more than this one.

“Life-enhancing stuff: exquisitely produced and packaged, and my favourite keyboard disc of 2017. Go on – treat yourself.” (Graham Rickson, TheArtsDesk)

"This is a striking release that you cannot let pass by.​” (OpusKlassiek)

"Ralph van Raat’s virtuosity is unclouded by haste and uncalled for extremes of display, and the music has more than enough content to speak for itself.​ In the booklet, producer Dirk Fischer talks us through the interesting challenge of setting up a recording of music that has little or no performance tradition, but van Raat’s colourful playing is captured superbly and the whole thing is yet another demonstration-class production, fully in agreement with Fischer’s final philosophy that, in the end, it is the music that counts above all technical considerations.​" (MusicWeb-International)

Ralph van Raat, piano

Ralph van Raat
has been fascinated by classical music of the 20th century since the age of 14. Although his repertoire ranges from Bach to Boulez, his primary focus has always been on composers dating from Debussy, Bartók and Ives to present-day masters. His aim is to convince audiences of the immense beauty and diversity of contemporary music through solo recitals, lecture-recitals, concerto performances, album releases and special projects. Van Raat helps audiences identify with modern day composers by adhering to a classical approach: he firmly believes that a strong sense of classical structure as well as a refinement of tone is essential in conveying the logic and poetry of any music.

This has not gone unrecognised: he is the recipient of a substantial number of national and international awards, many composers have written solo works for him, and he has performed over 50 piano concertos with orchestras worldwide, such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. His discography comprises over 30 albums. Van Raat is also a frequent speaker and performer on radio and television shows, and teaches at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam when not giving concerts. Van Raat became a Steinway Artist in 2003.

Booklet for Erik Lotichius: Anaitalrax (25 Virtuosic Piano Studies)