Ernstalbrecht Stiebler, Tilman Kanitz

Six improvisations by Ernstalbrecht Stiebler (piano) and Tilman Kanitz (cello), recorded towards the end of Stiebler's life in Kanitz's Berlin studio.

Interview with Tilman Kanitz

Could you tell us how and when your duo with Ernstalbrecht came about?

At a festival for North Indian Classical music in Calcutta I was impressed by the extensive “tuning up” process of the musicians. I thought of Ernstalbrecht and wrote to him, suggesting that he should write a cello piece for me. A couple of months later, at the concert in Berlin where I premiered this solo, he asked me if I would like to improvise with him. That was in early 2019. Since then we have been meeting, almost weekly, to improvise and record ourselves in my studio in Berlin Pankow.

How long has each of you been playing improvised music?

Ernstalbrecht says he started improvising music with me, shortly before his 85th birthday. I started improvising when I was 5 years old, together with my sister. And since then, improvising music on the cello, the piano, and other instruments has played an important role in my life. But it’s only with Ernstalbrecht that it has become a regular practice, and this is the first release of our improvised music for both of us.