Juraj Stanik - I Wonder

“It sounds just like a piano is sitting in the room in front of you. What more can you really want from a recording?”
- Audiophile Style

Juraj Stanik - piano


Total time: 41:10

Original one-mic recording format DXD 352kHz.
All other formats are converted versions of the original.

"Melodic invention is one of the surest signs of a divine gift"...
- Gustav Mahler

Juraj Stanik

"Playing solo piano is so demanding. It’s a particular mindset, different from when playing with my trio or duo with flugelhorn player Ack van Rooyen.
Solo piano playing is a dialog with the inner self. I noticed that when I get into 'the zone', the music starts to flow and somehow it feels that the music plays me!
At the core of this album are melodies that have been lingering in my mind. Being an improviser I transformed these melodies into musical structures, mostly while recording.

I started my musical career as a cello player. I feel this influenced the way I phrase music and treat tone quality and melody. Playing classical music made me acquainted with the great classical composers like for instance Mahler or Mendelssohn.
I consider melody as equally important as rhythm or harmony. In terms of harmonic structures I rather prefer relative simplicity than extreme complexity. Complexity often dictates the player specific things to play, while simplicity gives space to go to different places."

Juraj Stanik

Juraj Stanik is inspired by the jazz tradition as a whole. Sometimes one can hear subtle reminiscences of Chopin, Debussy, Bartok and Messiaen in his compositions.
He performs world wide with his own trio, and in duo setting with legendary flugelhorn player Ack van Rooyen. Juraj is teaching jazz piano at the Royal Conservatoire the Hague the Netherlands.

Recording and mastering by Frans de Rond
Recorded at MCO, Studio 2, Hilversum, The Netherlands, on 11th of February and 18th of March 2019
Produced by Peter Bjørnild

Piano tuning technicians: Charles Rademaker & Naomi van Schoot

Used equipment:

Microphone:  Josephson C700S
Pre-amp/converter: Merging Horus
Clock: Merging+Clock-U (10Mhz)

Special thanks to Rhapsody for lending us the Merging+Clock-U



Speakers: TAD Compact Evolution
Poweramp: Moon 760A
Mixing headphones: Sennheiser HD800 / AKG 702

All power cables and power conditioners by AudioQuest

Catalog Number: SL-1034A