Foreign Landscapes

The follow-up to 2008's breakthrough Ferndorf, Hauschka's Foreign Landscapes represents another tremendous shift for FatCat's engaging composer/pianist: nine of its twelve tracks feature a 12-piece string and wind ensemble from San Francisco's Magik*Magik Orchestra alongside Volker Bertelmann's own prepared piano. Now dark and intimate, now playful, now driving - the ensemble's fleshed-out instrumentation enables Hauschka to bring his exuberant versatility to a new and vital level. With Foreign Landscapes, Hauschka stretches for - and reaches - stunning new realms.