Born in Sardinia, Ed Carlsen started out by studying guitar and only started to play piano in 2015, discovering the instrument's mysteries by transplanting his own compositions for guitar. This unusual method was the basis for the two full-length albums he has released of his music so far, which combine the elements of modern classical music, especially the piano and strings, with restrained electronic sounds, thoroughly reworked guitar textures and ambient acoustic landscapes. The composer/producer honed his skills at the London College of Music, where he also broadened his palette with studies in sound design and film music composition techniques - all of which can be heard in his work. His first album, The Journey Tapes, was released in 2016 and, as the title suggests, it holds its own as travel music. His 2017 recording Elusive Frames is more layered and ambient in effect, perhaps something like the incidental music of our own lives. In any case, Carlsen often draws inspiration from the lives of his friends and others, and is in fact the kind of composer who can really be influenced by anything, with the experience giving birth to piano works that can even evoke the sound of a guitar.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest