This, like pretty much everything Frahm puts his name to, is a thing of beauty. Recorded on his own as improvisations, with no overdubs, it's full of sublime melodies and gentle keystrokes, evoking solitariness but not loneliness, and a sense of calm and stillness that's just mesmerising. Even on the more vibrant and animated 'Wall', which undercuts the calmness with a slight air of menace, you still feel by the end that all is well. It's an amazing example of what one man can achieve with one piano and a bucketload of talent, but there's more...
You see, this record has a purpose, and that purpose is to raise money for the building of the Klavins M450 piano. One of a kind, this will be the largest piano in the world, standing 4.5 metres tall. A prototype, the M370, has already been built, and it's that on which Frahm recorded this album (as you might have guessed that one is 3.7 metres tall). The income from 'Solo' is being used to cover the materials and labour for the construction of this wonderful instrument, which will hopefully culminate in a festival to unveil it in Berlin on Piano Day 2017. So by buying this release you're helping this historical project to succeed, as well as getting a stunning piece of music for yourself. You can buy it here, and listen to a track from it below.
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