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"The Book of Sounds" (Das Buch der Klänge, 1979–82) by German composer Hans Otte is an intuitive, intimate and idiosyncratic set of 12 pieces for piano, as if calling on the interpreter to make them their own. Whilst each piece is unique, it is a work in which chords and melodies repeat themselves and follow each other in harmonic cadences, yet never dissolve - a timeless back and forth. For Carlos Cipa, this is a personal project: "The Book of Sounds" was extremely influential in his development as an artist, and it marks his first time interpreting and recording the work of another composer. "Minimal music was one of the first forms of contemporary music that fascinated me as an artist. Of course, you discover the well-known names from the US, but eventually you want to dig deeper and discover other perspectives. I soon came across Otte's 'The Book of Sounds' and was particularly fascinated by the versatility of the harmonic language…which immediately sounded very fresh and bold to me. The nice thing about the pieces is that the composer gives his interpreter a good deal of freedom, the notation is relatively open, so you can bring a lot of your own musical feeling into the music-making. All the existing recordings of 'The Book of Sounds' are on grand pianos, in a hall, so very classical and conventional, which basically suits the work well, of course. But naturally, I also wanted to give my recording a personal touch, and continue my approach of using the different sounds of various pianos that have dominated my last two albums. For this recording I used three different pianos: my Steinway grand piano, my upright, and the famous Yamaha CP-70, originally intended as an electronically amplified stage piano on the rock stage, but when recorded acoustically, it gives a great intimate feeling when you are sitting deep in the sounds of Otte's music." - Carlos Cipa