Moritz Fasbender „Swifts“ – frohfroh – electronic music from leipzig

A new video for Moritz Fasbender’s “Rabbits” EP and album series was released yesterday. And since we lost both last year, we’re doing a mini interview here.

Moritz Fasbender is an alias of Friederike Bernhardt, composer, theater musician and pianist from Leipzig. About ten years ago we introduced her for the first time in a big interview with gladfroh. At that time it was said: The album will be released in 2019. But it took until the summer of 2022.

But who cares – in the end two very convincing works by Moritz Fasbender came out with the “Rabbits” EP and the “13 Rabbits” album. With tracks that, on the one hand, have the intimacy and closeness of minimalist-contemporary piano compositions and, on the other hand, with subtle electronics and wattled ambient aesthetics, give the neo-classical and piano-electronic genres, which have recently been somewhat overplayed, a completely new nuance.

“Swifts” stands exactly between these two worlds. Long-playing chords create gliding, almost sacred moments. But they always drift off briefly, catch each other and end up staying on a trail that has darkened at night. The video goes very well with it, alternating between a piano session in the forest and a studio session with the forest on TV.

Interview

Friederike Bernhardt tells us in a mini-interview why the album took longer and how much theater there is in her music:

In our first interview in 2014, we parted with the sentence: “The album will be coming in 2019”. It took a little longer, what came in between?

New York because of a scholarship and a never-ending string of “I’m still doing one.” There were too many interesting theater works, I always thought to myself: That’s where I’ll start. But I was only able to do that after my time in New York.

So far your music has been very closely linked to theater – did that also play a role in “Rabbits”?

In any case. Pure piano music sounds too naked to me from my pen. Apparently I missed the theater so much that I got it back in homeopathic doses during the album production.

In recent years, the combination of piano and electronics has received a lot of attention – what are your musical signatures in this clash of two worlds?

Others have to judge signatures. But I definitely have a soft spot for a very precise use of electroacoustics and don’t use them as an effect à la reverb/filter/open/close/yeah, but see them as a partner on a par with the piano.

What makes “Swifts” special for you and what was the idea for the video?

Swifts were the favorite animals of a friend who is unfortunately no longer with us – and I just really love the whistling of these birds. The first sub-sentence is perhaps sufficient as background information for the video.

What’s next for you?

Theater again. But also two concerts. On September 2nd I’ll play support for Moderat in Dresden. And then I play at the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg. On September 22, 2023, in the evening during prime time.

Album

Incidentally, “13 Rabbits” was released digitally and on limited vinyl – both versions are slightly different. There are still copies in the Dussmann department store in Berlin. So be quick.

“Swifts” appeared again on the EP “Rabbits”, on which four more tracks are released.

Image: Maximillian King