BBC 6 MUSIC INTERVIEW: NILS FRAHM ON GRAZ

Let’s hear from Nils Frahm, the German virtuoso pianist and composer.

For the recent Piano Day at the end of March he announced and released a surprise album titled Graz, which it turns out was his debut studio album that was never released.

It’s a raw, snapshot of his work before the huge international success that would follow in the past decade, extensive concert hall tours around the globe in some of the world’s most historic venues.

The album was recorded over three days at Mumuth, the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz in Austria.

Pieces like Hammers and Went Missing evolved into a key part of his live set and later appeared on his breakthrough Spaces record in 2013, which was a collage of field recordings from concerts.

His playing has evolved since 2009 with Frahm incorporating more of a jazz influence with the classical and electronic textures. This fusion and his live shows - complete with highly entertaining chat in between the pieces - has made him somewhat of a household name in the contemporary classical realm.

I spoke to Nils Frahm from Berlin for BBC Radio 6 Music to find out more about the making of Graz and why he decided it was time to put this out into the world…