Ernstalbrecht Stiebler’s Für Biliana unfolds as a quietly powerful study in sustained resonance and tactile silence, brought to life with understated virtuosity by Biliana Voutchkova and her collaborators. Across four compositions - including the eponymous solo piece and “Glissando,” both written for Voutchkova, as well as “Duo 4 / Parallelen” and “Extension für Streichtrio” - Stiebler investigates the possibilities of sonority, repetition, and space in chamber music. His distinctive architecture of sound, which bridges traditions from Feldman to Scelsi, is evident in the album’s careful pacing and gradual unfolding.

The opening track, “Für Biliana,” has the violin seemingly divided against itself, rocking delicate tremolos and drone-like sonorities that shift in register and blend brightness with warmth. This six-minute solo, composed in 2015, encapsulates Stiebler’s commitment to exploring the fine gradations between silence and vibration, intimacy and distance. In “Glissando,” descending lines fall through sparse sound fields before settling into elongated pitches, conjuring a mood of fragile shadow and slow descent - a piece that reveals both abstract rigor and emotional depth. “Duo 4 / Parallelen” and “Extension für Streichtrio” showcase the resonance and interplay between instruments, with registers and timbres interlacing until identities blur. These works, separated by decades but unified in aesthetic approach, reflect the continuity in Stiebler’s language - measured pulses, abrupt tonal shifts, and their interactions creating a textured sonic landscape that rewards careful listening.

Voutchkova’s interpretations, together with Rauter and Stark, bring out the richness in Stiebler’s scores, focusing on articulation and dynamic subtlety. The recording’s quiet elegance and openness encourage the listener to attend to minutiae, to witness music as a play of persistent yet fragile motion. Each piece stands as a testament to Stiebler’s unwavering dedication to alternating sustain and silence, movement and stasis, forging a sound world that is both challenging and deeply moving. Für Biliana not only offers insight into Stiebler’s mature style and collaborations but also acts as a digest of his musical priorities - generous time, sonic investigation, and the significance of what is withheld as much as what is played. For those seeking new textures in chamber music, this album welcomes them into a space where beauty is found in the patience of attentive sound and the complex simplicity of its unfolding.