Roberto Attanasio – Abyss

We were recently sent a promo copy of ‘Abyss‘ by Rome based composer Roberto Attanasio, ahead of a release on Swedish label 1631, run by David Wenngren (Library Tapes) and Mattias Nilsson. The album is out today and we’ve been enjoying it for the last couple of weeks – an album equally perfect for quiet indoor reflection or for contemplative walks outdoors. Whilst the title evokes thoughts of doom and despair, the recordings are contrastingly delicate, whilst containing that naturally nostalgic and melancholy sound that is typical of the piano.
The cover artwork is striking as a thick, dark liquid muddies clear waters. This reminds me a little of how captured I was when I first saw the artwork to Pillowdiver’s ‘Sleeping Pills’, although the audio is completely different as we’re dealing with piano and not guitar.
I’m sure other reviewers will draw some comparisons to Nils Frahm, Goldmund and the likes – but Attanasio does have a style of his own and this one as an overall album package is right up there with all the great modern classical piano albums in recent years – highly recommended.