Forest Stories is an album of improvised music for piano and wind instruments, beautifully presented by Rattle Records.

Tania Giannouli studied piano and advanced theory and composition at Athenaeum Conservatory. She is highly regarded for her many compositions for theatre and film, which have been performed at many festivals throughout the world. Portuguese-born Paulo Chagas (alto and soprano saxophones, bass and sopranino clarinets, flute, bamboo flute) describes himself as a wilfully eclectic musician, having focused much of his career on experimentalism. Being by nature a maverick, he has dedicated his life to seeking new (or renewed) solutions and links between the sounds and textures he explores.

In Forest Stories [Giannouli and Chagas] join forces with great success to create evocative tunes that appeal to our inner senses and aural memories of the forest. Experts in their craft, the duo build and interweave their improvisational utterances with seeming effortless creativity and virtuosity. Each of the eight atmospheric compositions convey a rich sense of harmony, and are usually built around measured tempos and well contained dynamics. The rhythmic patterns are diverse and interesting, and the musicians modulate between modal approaches and free improvisation. This fine recording is highly recommended.