out into the open

The album “out into the open”, featuring four works composed for Trio Accanto by Brice Pauset, Rebecca Saunders, Misato Mochizuki and Beat Furrer, documents a collective journey into the unknown and, at the same time, marks the conclusion of an intense triangular relationship that has bound Nicolas Hodges, Marcus Weiss and Christian Dierstein together over the course of twelve years. Before Nicolas Hodges left the trio in 2024, the three went into the studio for a final recording session: with four works that span even more than just their time together. Brice Pauset’s “Adagio dialettico” was already part of their core repertoire when Nicolas Hodges replaced pianist Yukiko Sugawara in 2012. And it featured in his Accanto debut concert in Prague on 1 November 2013.

The three more recent compositions – by Rebecca Saunders, Beat Furrer and Misato Mochizuki – were all written for the trio of Weiss, Dierstein and Hodges. The composers play with this unique constellation from a wide variety of perspectives, whilst composing for three distinctive musical personalities: contemplative, virtuosic, sensuous and experimental. And more than once, with this trio as exemplar, they raise the question of the compatibility of individuality and society, of freedom and community spirit.

Produced by Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln, 2024. Under exclusive license from WDR mediagroup GmbH.