“We believe music has an endless capability to affect people’s hearts and minds” – with these words, Polish composer-pianist-singer Hania Rani and composer-cellist Dobrawa Czocher present their much-anticipated debut album Inner Symphonies on Deutsche Grammophon today (15 October).
The recording reflects the closeness of an artistic partnership that has continued to evolve ever since Hania and Dobrawa first met in their early teens at music school in Gdańsk. Recorded in their native Poland, Inner Symphonies is their first full album of original works. It combines multi-layered instrumental and electronic sounds to deliver an emotionally charged, always lyrical, soulful vision of contemporary classical music, taking listeners on a journey from winter to spring, darkness to light, despair to hope.
Three singles – “Con Moto”, “Dunkel” and “There Will Be Hope” – released in July and September have already given a taste of the music on the album, and fans were also able to enjoy the duo’s standout performance livestreamed from DG’s Yellow Lounge night at last month’s Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg. Earlier this year, Hania and Dobrawa were the stars of Netflix Poland’s promotion campaign for the new thriller Open Your Eyes, built around their haunting composition “Dunkel”. For this innovative project, the artists were connected to a brain-computer interface while performing, and the signals collected were translated in real time into 3D simulated animations that were then projected back onto the spaces around them. The full video is available to watch below.
Both musicians studied at Warsaw’s renowned Fryderyk Chopin University of Music and in Germany. Hania went on to score critical acclaim and chart success in Poland and the UK with her solo debut album, while Dobrawa has forged an impressive career as soloist, chamber musician and orchestral cellist.
The duo are taking Inner Symphonies on a major European tour this autumn, with dates to come in Paris, London, Dublin, Zurich, Utrecht, Cologne, Karlsruhe, Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Warsaw, Barcelona and Madrid.
A limited edition LP of Inner Symphonies on high-quality 180g red vinyl will be available exclusively on the DG Store and at tour venues.