Colette Roper
Piano Pieces
Art into Life / Tochnit Aleph (Japan) 2023
AIL018 & TA173 (LP) DL code.
sleeve : NEW
media : NEW
This is an official reissue of an album by artist Colette Roper, released in 1979 from the music label Dieter Roth's Verlag, which was run by the German contemporary artist Dieter Roth in the 1970s. Little is known about the artist, and the woman pictured on the back of the jacket is unidentified. The recordings, seemingly made on a cassette tape recorder, sound like amateur piano practice sessions, complete with mistakes, sounds of stopping and rewinding, all left unedited. However, the melodies are incredibly minimalistic and beautiful, evoking indescribable emotions and sentiments that professional musicians could hardly replicate. It's a mysterious sensation reminiscent of the music of Tori Kudo, known for projects like Che-SHIZU. Released through Art Into Life, this is the last copy available in stores.
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Dieter Roth, a titan of contemporary art known for his sculptures and readymade works, released the only work by the mysterious performer Colette Roper, titled "[Piano Pieces]", in 1979 from his self-run label, Dieter Roth's Verlag. The album, now reissued for the first time, features hand-drawn butterflies on the front cover against a yellow background, a woman with a bouquet of flowers and poetry on the back cover, and piano solos immersed in hissing noise, stumbling through vague patterns, radiating a simple beauty and an array of enigmatic elements that stimulate various imaginations. Remastered by Jos Smolders in 2022, the LP version comes with a download code and is a joint release with Tochnit Aleph.