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Faust: a Mortal's Tale

by Ashley Hribar

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Comes in a beautifully hand-made Digi-pack case with booklet (6 pages). Cover Art designed by Ashley Hribar. Personal greeting / hand signature upon request

    Includes unlimited streaming of Faust: a Mortal's Tale via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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1.
Sergei Rachmaninov - Prelude Op 32, Nr 12 in G# minor 03:05
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2.
Georgy Catoire - Quatre Morceaux Op 12, Chant du soir 02:54
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3.
Georgy Catoire - Quatre Morceaux Op 12, Méditation 02:36
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4.
Georgy Catoire - Quatre Morceaux Op 12, Nocturne 03:16
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5.
Georgy Catoire - Quatre Morceaux Op 12, Etude Fantastique 03:27
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6.
Faust 6. Claude Debussy - Claire de Lune 05:07
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7.
Franz Liszt - Mephisto Waltz No 1 - Part 1 05:46
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8.
Franz Liszt - Mephisto Waltz No 1 - Part 2 05:17
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9.
Faust 7. Fazil Say - Black Earth (arr. Hribar) 05:36
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10.
Faust 9. Enrique Granados - ‘Oriental’ from ‘Twelve Spanish Dances’ 04:52
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11.
Faust 10. Manuel De Falla - Ritual Fire Dance (arr. Hribar) 03:38
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12.
Dies Irae Suite, part 1 (Rachmaninov Etude Op 39, Nr 2 06:41
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13.
Dies Irae Suite, part 2 "Dies Irae" (Thomas of Celano of the Franciscans arr. Hribar) 01:53
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14.
Dies Irae Suite, part III "Stairways" based on Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" (arr. Hribar) 07:55
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15.
Faust 12. Jelly Roll Morton - Fingerbreaker arr. Hribar (live performance) 03:22
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about

Why “Faust” you may ask?

The Faust story is so fascinatingly embedded in the roots of human philosophy and morality. It is so relatable whether you realise it or not, “I know this is bad, but I’m still gonna do it and pay the price!” Mortality has become such a global theme of 2020 through the disruption of norms and questioning of one’s reality and existence. Dr Faust’s fantastic tale makes us share in the same essence: human meaning, temptation, conflicting dualities of the mind and facing the unknown. Faust: a Mortal’s Tale draws its inspiration from the silent film Faust (Murnau, 1926) and is a personal musical reflection on the following story:
“The old Dr Faust ponders over his life (Rachmaninov, Prelude Op. 32 No. 12) and begins a journey into the unknown (Catoire, Quatre Morceaux). As he walks the earth (Say, Black Earth), he finds himself in deep contemplation (Debussy, Claire de Lune). In a furious rage, he conjures Mephistopheles who grants him all earthly pleasures in exchange for his soul (Liszt, Mephisto Waltz). He seduces the beautiful Spanish princess (Granados, Oriental) but is tricked into eternal damnation (De Falla, Ritual Fire Dance) where only through redemption and death (Rachmaninov, Etude Op 39, Nr 2 "Dies Irae"), is he granted an ascent into the heavens (Led Zeppelin, Stairways).”

It’s become a joyful habit of mine to tamper with the written score, to not take the notes too seriously, but in a thoughtful way. I’m sure that Bach, Beethoven and Liszt often (not all the time!) wrote in a way, either in skeletal form, or deliberately mundane and repetitious, or alluding to improvisation, with the expectation for performers to try new things, as if to create a secret portal. Depending on the context, it’s as though many scores were designed for performers to think outside the box, to give an individual stamp of expression or to even a push the performer into the direction of composition and improvisation. This was, after all, so common of performers a few hundred years ago, though considered sacrilegious by many hardened academics of today.


I chose the Australian-made “Big Beleura” piano as the instrument of choice because it offers expressive qualities different to conventional 88 key grand pianos. It has 108 keys, making it the world’s first 9-octave piano, with the keyboard expanding in both directions, down to a lower C, (an extra 9 keys) and up to a higher B (an extra 11). I’ve reimagined each piece specifically for this instrument and have loved making use of its huge range, four pedals and unique sonority.
These new ideas, Dr Faust’s tale, the “Big Beleura” piano and new explorations have driven my creative direction for some time, so I hope you enjoy this album.. like exotic fruits that have never before been tasted.
Do you dare to try one?

credits

released April 21, 2021

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Ashley Hribar Melbourne, Australia

Australian born pianist-composer Ashley Hribar, is a versatile musician with a deep interest in contemporary aesthetics. His compositions are poly-stylistic collages, often employ extended performance techniques, voice and electronics. He is curator of many projects embracing multimedia, world music, cross-disciplinary art forms. ... more

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