Nadav Erlich - Music for Septet (2026) [Hi-Res]

Musician Nadav Erlich has released his second album, “Music for Septet” — his first work written for an ensemble larger than a chamber group. He began assembling the septet in Basel in 2022 with the aim of bringing all of his favourite instruments together in one band. The starting point was the harp, which he has loved since his youth: it accompanied important moments of his teenage years. Around it came flute, bassoon, clarinet, cello, drums and double bass.

The heart of the group is flautist Joe Melnicove: he and Erlich have known each other since childhood and began playing together back then, and his sound and improvisational approach define the band’s character. The other members come either from jazz and improvisation or from classical chamber music; Erlich was curious what would happen if neither side had to give up its own way of thinking.

The music moves between written counterpoint and open improvisation. The harp carries much of the harmony, the bassoon is given more room than the instrument usually gets, and a groove comes and goes. Underneath are melodies that seem to come from somewhere further east — Erlich believes he carries them within him without always noticing. He finds it hard to pin down a genre himself: it may be jazz and free improvisation, combined with a love of 20th-century classical music, played by six musicians he admires deeply. The album was recorded in 2023 at Hard Studios with the support of SRF.

Joe Melnicove - flute

Julija Vrabec - clarinet

Lucas Rössner - bassoon*

Esther Sévérac - harp

Ema Grčman - cello

Iago Fernández - drums
Nadav Erlich - doublebass, composition

* Timm Kornelius - bassoon (track 3, 9,10 ,13)

Francesca Gaza - voice on track 5

Tracklist:
01-01 Nadav Erlich - Nigud (Bordone) [8:04]
01-02 Nadav Erlich - I Passed a House [4:51]
01-03 Nadav Erlich - Interlude I [1:05]
01-04 Nadav Erlich - Hungarian Peasant Song No. 2 [7:27]
01-05 Nadav Erlich - I Have Heard [4:29]
01-06 Nadav Erlich - Andante [1:25]
01-07 Nadav Erlich - Lied Ohne Name [0:42]
01-08 Nadav Erlich - Lanquan Li Jorn Son Lonc en Mai (For G.K.) [3:57]
01-09 Nadav Erlich - Folk [5:25]
01-10 Nadav Erlich - Interlude II [1:33]
01-11 Nadav Erlich - The Fanfare of the Halloos [4:10]
01-12 Nadav Erlich - Where the Sea Ends [9:05]
01-13 Nadav Erlich - Interlude III [1:40]
01-14 Nadav Erlich - Ziva [8:11]
01-15 Nadav Erlich - Outro [2:24]