What does Piotr Wiese sound like?

Introspective pianist and composer, living life in the quieter spaces of contemporary classical music.

The review of Piotr Wiese – I Will Keep Sailing

Sneaking out at the last bells of 2023, Piotr Wiese’s new EP ‘I Will Keep Sailing’ might be a 20-minute moment on the ears, but the tracks span five years of Wiese’s life. During that time he found love, became a recording musician and relocated multiple times. With that whirlwind backdrop, this EP brings a collective of reflective piano ditties of balance romance and nostalgia.

Piotr Wiese has chosen a rustic and intimate piano recording for this release. You can hear the hammers softly stroking the felt but there are also tiny wire rustles and other room noise emanating from the piano too. I feel like I’m in the room with him as he plays and that allows the opening two tracks to set the melancholic and reflective mood. ‘Adagio’ is typical Wiese. Slow, melodic, thoughtful and pensive. It balances a sombre theme with moments of hope and uprising. ‘I Know It by Heart’ is more outwardly melodic with a simple and memorable main theme. The unrushed delivery allows the end of each bar to land and rest as if you are relearning an emotion anew. It is a fantastic track and showcases everything great about Piotr Wiese’s compositions.

‘Waltz in B’ is a beautifully restrained trickle of notes that waltz around the kitchen table. The background strings are dissonant on a few of the notes that Piotr hangs on to. It adds a clumsy charm to the track as if we’ve bumped into some scenery or trod on our partner’s foot. The waltz pauses and continues on unabashed like we’ve overcome a hurdle. It plays beautifully before the light and playful ‘Agnieszka’. This song switches up time signatures from a jaunty bounce to sudden bursts of gleeful arpeggios and back again. Again, the wiry after-effect plays a character in the track as if something is afoot under the surface. Piotr leans into this further with the gorgeous ‘Two Sides of the Same Story’ where the verse embraces a detuned effect on the main melody. I view it as each note having two sides, one sympathetic like a cause and effect. The restained bassy notes add to the track’s character too.

‘There And Then’ is a brighter piece, as the record moves towards its close. The chirpy and pixie playful theme evokes a domestic bliss feeling, like sheets blowing in the breeze. Throughout the record, the piano often feels nostalgic, as if it is searching for a home. This track feels like it is that home as it’s the warmest here. However, whilst home may have been found, the title track leaves us voyaging into the great unknown. It’s rolling arpeggios bustle on by, searching and yearning for the next adventure. The song feels big on scale despite always being played in a restrained and delicate manner. Think Enya played with tiny mice feet and you’ve got it. It’s a lovely way to round off the release.

I always come away with a heart swell when listening to Piotr Wiese and ‘I Will Keep Sailing’ is no exception. The intimate recording and delicate performance lets you peek inside a window of Wiese’s world, but it doesn’t reveal everything. There is a sense of wonder, yearning, melancholy and comfort that spark all kinds of emotions in the listener. Life is a journey and this record encapsulates that message beautifully.

Recommended track: I Know It by Heart

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