… brilliantly crafted, intellectually rigorous, some of the very greatest pure electronic works in this island (Ireland) at present.
 
Bernard Clarke, Blue Of The Night, RTÉ lyric fm
 
This album is, from many perspectives, a new departure for Victor Lazzarini. With it, he has rediscovered some of the music he has appreciated since his youth. It also marks a return to performance. As a pianist, synthesist, and keyboard player, he has played every single part that was recorded for each track of this collection. This allowed him to work through new compositions from an improvisation point of view, which is a practice he had not used for a long time. The title of the album somehow reflects this, as Lazzarini found a way of doing things that seemed to offer very low impedance in a metaphoric sense.
 
vlz is inspired by the jazz fusion and progressive rock of the 1970s. It represents both a commentary and an homage to the aesthetics of these musics, which had a strong influence in Lazzarini's musical upbringing.
 
The production of this album was spread throughout five years, with the earliest recordings taking place in 2018, and the final mixing and mastering in 2023.
 
When these tracks were composed and recorded, a conscious decision was made to employ modes of production and performance within the spirit of the music that inspired them. For example, no MIDI sequencing was employed, all keyboard parts were played directly onto a multitrack, with the occasional recording of step sequencer and arpeggiator patterns.
 
All music in this album had origins in improvisation, even though much of it became fixed in the composition and recording process. The opening piece, Swash sets out a theme that is commented on in two other reprises that follow. The second number is built around patterns that appear in various guises throughout the piece. Passages is based on a motive, first introduced by the pipe organ, that is worked out to construct the different sections of the work. Part I of the album is completed by a piano commentary on the Swash theme.
 
Karst is a three-part composition with an introduction setting out a couple of themes, followed by a contrasting middle section and a coda. Evensong is constructed from an extended chorus form and features a piano solo. The final installment of Swash is based on an vocoder improvisation, bringing in the restatement of the theme. The album closes with Dies Irae, based on a 24-bar four-part choral with a synthesiser orchestration.
 
In these recordings, Lazzarini played the piano; Prophet REV2/16, Prologue/16, and Summit polyphonic synthesizers; Voyager OS, A100 modular, Odyssey, Poly D, MonoPoly, and 2600 monophonic synthesizers; Gemini (electric piano, tonewheel organ, pipe organ, and strings); JV1080 (strings and woodwinds); and VC340 (strings, choir, and vocoder).
 
 
vlz
By Victor Lazzarini
 
Part I
1. Swash (theme)
2. La Lune (au-dessus de la ville endormie) 
3. Passages
4. Swash (solo)
 
Part II
5. Karst
6. Evensong 
7. Swash (scat) 
8. Dies Irae
Total Timing 45’53”
 
Farpoint Catalogue Number: fp093
 
Design by Farpoint Recordings
CD project coordinated by Anthony Kelly & David Stalling
 
Acknowledgements
vlz was recorded at various locations at Maynooth University, and mixed and mastered at the Music Technology Laboratory studios. Victor Lazzarini would like to acknowledge the support of Maynooth University’s Impact Through Dissemination Support Fund, which partially funded this production.
 
all rights reserved
                                                                     
About the artist:
Victor Lazzarini is a composer/performer of electronic and instrumental music. His work extends from contemporary jazz to computer music. As a composer, he has received prizes and honourable mentions in competitions such as the Hallward Composition Prize (UK, 1996), Luigi Russolo Competition (Italy, 2003), and the AIC/IMRO International Composition Prize (Ireland, 2006). His music is regularly performed in Ireland and abroad, has been released by the Irish label Farpoint Recordings. Victor Lazzarini's scores can be found at the Contemporary Music Centre in Dublin, and his music can be heard on the main streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.