Listen now to “Aquae Sulis”, independent album by a Brazilian pianist
by Vitor de Almeida. 12/01/2018.
Nícolas Glanz performing in the album release.
In line with the musicians’ month, celebrated in Brazil on 22 November, the young pianist from Juiz de Fora Nícolas Glanz has released, at the age of 23, his first original album, independently produced. In an event that sold out the cultural association Estação Palco located at the city centre, Nícolas performed live some of the Aquae Sulis tracks, besides playing a variety of songs with many guests.
Aquae Sulis, ancient city of the Roman Empire was named in a reference to the springs and thermal waters of the region, where is now located the English city of Bath, in the Somerset county and was the inspiration for the second track of the homonymous work. The piece was composed during Nícolas’ stay, when he was an exchange student at the University of Bath (UoB). Chemistry graduate by the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), the pianist said that this was a way of honouring the city. “One day, after a walk through Bathwick hill, the first thing I did once I got to the university was going to one of the piano practice rooms”, Nícolas remembered. “We were able to play the piano for one hour a day, and I took the opportunity to write the piece”.
The pianist said that he had the collaboration of his brother, Davi Glanz, in some of the tracks. Also a musician, Davi recorded the drums for the album and came up the stage to perform some of the pieces alongside Nícolas. Check out below the live presentation of the first track of the album, entitled Giz, together with the highlights of the release event:
Production and editing of videos/images/sound: Vitor de Almeida
Aquae Sulis
The independent project consists in 11 tracks, besides two bonus tracks, and can already be accessed through the music streaming platforms Spotify, Deezer and Soundcloud, and also on Youtube.
With influences such as Chopin, Debussy and Rachmaninoff, Aquae Sulis, presents itself as an eclectic and modern work, because even in the more erudite moments, as the tracks Zhàngpéng, Egun, Masakh and Augen, it is possible to identify some characteristic elements of jazz and rock. Nícolas’ background and experience with soundtrack composing can also be found mostly in the tracks Khiazran, Jìngpìan, Savali and Héchuáng. The tracks Giz and Pepper, demonstrate the versatility and talent of the pianist for jazz, composing the most relaxed and cheerful moments of the album. Meanwhile, the tracks Aquae Sulis and Sil (this last one dedicated to his mother) surface as the most intense moments with a strong inclination to classical music.
Aquae Sulis is a delicious adventure with relaxed moments and dramatic ruptures that reassure the high level of the artists in Juiz de Fora. The album is a must and is highly pertinent to the local cultural scene, but doesn’t limit its potency to our frontiers. It is here and beyond. The album has just been released digitally jointly with Tô cult! website. Check it out!
Aquae Sulis cover
Get to know Nícolas Glanz
See below an interview with the pianist in our recently debuted Youtube channel. Nícolas describes further Aquae Sulis’ creation process, gets into the cultural scene of Juiz de Fora and also talks about the importance of a musical education since childhood. At the end of the video, you can find an exclusive live presentation of the track Sil. Press play and don’t forget to subscribe to our channel! (Sorry, there are no subtitles yet, but we're working on it!)