DOWNBEATÂ MAGAZINE
Since moving to Amsterdam in 2014, the young Polish pianist Marta Warelis has gradualy emerged as one of the most versatile, daring and skilled musicians in European improvised music..
THE QUIETUS
My admiration for this Amsterdam-based Polish pianist has been growing steadily over the last few years, and her first solo recording arrives as an important statement..
VITAL WEEKLY
MARTA WARELIS - A GRAIN OF EARTH (CD by Relative Pitch Records)
A string of solo releases on Relative Pitch brings us to the first one ever for Marta Warelis, a mainstay in the Amsterdam or rather Dutch impro-scene. Delicate music emanates from the inside of the (prepared) piano. Hitting off with gentle strikes on a bowl, adding single held piano notes, the first track slowly evolves into agitated fast notes and back to the gentle beginning again. Some tracks offer bowed piano strings from inside the piano, reminding me of the story of Zappa's Civilization Phaze III: people living inside a piano. If you thought that would be very dull and boring (the music by Warelis, I mean), you are quickly forced into a rhythmic and alluring spiel on the strings. Almost electronic in quality. Absolutely mesmerizing. Warelis commands the piano on a very high level, playing with determination and wilfulness. The same electronic quality, or should I say otherworldliness is apparent in "minute creatures". I should be honest here; I'm lost for words. Just get this release and let yourself be immersed in the delicate and daringly sounding and astonishing sounds made by Warelis. It's incredible. I'm sure The record was recorded at Splendor, a beautifully renovated bathhouse in Amsterdam. (MDS)
POISONPIE.COM
The nine tracks allow Ms. Warelis to demonstrate the full voice of the acoustic piano. We find the never-ending balance of melody and dissonance. Some tracks fall further to one side of the spectrum and other tracks to the opposite side.
TRYBUNA MUZYKI SPONTANICZNEJ
Z mglistej ciszy dociera do nas głuchy dźwięk, jakby ktoś delikatnie stukał w dzban, siedząc w jego wnętrzu. Pojedynczy klawisz fortepianu też stuka, choć brzmi inaczej. Sekwencja czynności zostaje powtórzona, a tytułowe echo pieśni otwarcia szuka nas wzrokiem. Dźwięki zaczynają pojawiać się jeden po drugim. Opowieść kołysze się na lekkim wietrze, wciąż dostarczając nowych wrażeń. Być może na strunach wielkiego fortepianu leżą jakieś przedmioty. Być może są wśród nich talerze. Coś dźwięcznie płacze, coś innego trzeszczy pod lekkim naporem dłoni pianistki.
STNT
Du piano solo dans son versant expérimental. On sent la dame avide d'aventures, torturée entre sa volonté de classique et cette affinité innée de vouloir tout foutre en l'air.
BAD ALCHEMY MAGAZINE
BA 115 rbd
THE FREE JAZZ COLLECTIVE
The sound is a real collective co-creation of free improvisation: nervous, agitated, sharp, precise, hurried, yet expansive. There is some urgency to tell the story, creating strong ensemble dynamics, and intense interactions, yet they also take their time to give space and listen.