Australian neo-classical pianist and composer Sophie Hutchings has announced the release of her forthcoming album Scattered On The Wind for April 2020 on record label Mercury KX, and has released a brand new single, ‘Two Flames’.
The new track ‘Two Flames’ is an indelible first taste of Sophie’s musical ambition, scale, and prowess. The track soars with an elegant and transcendent meditation on “surrendering to the unknown, trusting that things will align”.
Speaking of the new music, Sophie says, “I pour so much emotional energy into my music; I think that’s why I was so desperately shy about performing it when I was a teen. But I have confidence in my vision now – partly through experience, and partly through the relationship I have with my audience. They’ve taught me to trust and believe in what I’m doing.”
The track features long-time collaborators Peter Hollo on cello and Jay Kong on violin, while vocalists Sandra Liu and Josephine Stark add subtle, choral accents
Sophie spent a good deal of her childhood outdoors, by the ocean. “I find the water has an almost medicinal effect,” says Sophie, who still swims and surfs with enthusiastic regularity. “There’s a peace that comes over you when you’re in the ocean or gazing at its horizon.”
The elemental, almost otherworldly effect of that natural landscape on Sophie’s psyche has proved a formative and lasting influence on her style as a pianist and composer. Sophie’s music is ruminative and dreamy, rippling piano-based instrumentals described by The Guardian as exuding “an intimate, contemplative quality; sometimes melancholic, often with an exhilarating beauty.”
A Sydney, Australia local herself, Sophie Hutchings performed at the inaugural ZoneOut Festival, held at Carriageworks in Sydney in 2019. Having been named one of MOJO’s ‘Top 5 Independent Albums’ of the year with her debut album Becalmed [2010], it was her solo piano album White Light [2015], that marked her first buzz release, proving a hit on streaming platforms and earning her a wider, more global fan base.