UK contemporary pianist and composer Alexis Ffrench has
today released his exquisite new album Evolution via Sony Music. Featuring a host of beautifully crafted
piano-led songs, the album personifies his drive to create digestible,
relatable and relevant classical music, forming his finest work to date.
Evolution sees Ffrench propel himself to yet further
heights, being revered across the board at UK media, with the Evening Standard
saying that “breaking stereotypes is what Ffrench is all about”, the Daily
Telegraph commenting that “Alexis Ffrench defines a unique sound”, The Sun
declaring him a “pianist sensation” and both BBC Music & The Independent
describing Alexis’ music as simply “beautiful”.
The album arrives off the back of a landmark year for
Alexis, including electrifying performances at Latitude Festival and at this
year’s Classic BRIT Awards, where he performed his track ‘Bluebird’. Ffrench was joined on the iconic Royal Albert
Hall stage by opera singer Pretty Yende, accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic
Concert Orchestra and provided a platform for young ballet dancers including
his talented daughter Savannah, who performed a beautifully choreographed
routine. Their performance received a standing ovation and resulted in tears of
pride and joy for Savannah. That night has marked the start of a truly special
journey for Alexis Ffrench.
Evolution features a host of special guests, from
Boston-based electro folk duo Tall Heights to The City of Prague Philharmonic
Orchestra under the baton of Adam Klemans via international classical harpist
Lavinia Meijer. The album has already
spawned a success in previous single ‘Moments’, seeing it feature on Spotify’s
New Music Friday playlist, a huge moment for a solo piano track.
Speaking of the themes and meaning behind the new album,
Alexis Ffrench says: “Evolution’ is inspired by the extremes and inherent
fragility of the human experience - loss, love, birth, sorrow, vulnerability,
triumph and despair but, above all, our ability to come through adversity and
radiate the best versions of ourselves. This album explores the beauty that
lies beneath and the truths that bind us.”
Earlier this year he signed with Modest! Management, home to
a brace of all-conquering pop acts, including Little Mix, Olly Murs and Niall
Horan. With over 75 million streams to
date and now over 1.5 million active Spotify listeners a month, Alexis Ffrench
is already an established star in the streaming world, leading the way for the
new generation of classical artists, with his music speaking to a very wide and
diverse audience and transcending all boundaries and genres.
As likely to be found listening to Kendrick Lamar and Chance
the Rapper as Bach and Beethoven, Ffrench’s combination of classical training
and love for R&B and roots music has helped define his unique sound, noting
“I listen to a lot of R&B and hip hop, and study the music videos. I see
innovation and people pushing the envelope and doing daring things in the name
of art, in a way that provokes thought. I wonder whether as classical musicians
if we can do more on that front.”
Trying to break the rigorous and academic preconceptions of
classical music, Alexis Ffrench now finds himself as one of the leading voices
of a new wave of composers, redefining a genre made accessible by artists of
the stature of Ludovico Einaudi and Michael Nyman.
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