Heirloom is a solo recording by pianist Lisa Ullén. It was captured during two sessions—with an audience—on June 6 and 8, 2023, at Fylkingen in Stockholm, Sweden. The two concerts were identical, each exploring two variations of the same three-part suite: “Heirloom,” “Fragrance,” and “After Sun.”

From the first notes of Heirloom, there is an intimacy and drama that unfold more intensely than what Lisa Ullén usually offers. It possesses a depth certainly linked to the theme of identity presented here: the cover features a photo of the small box of possessions she brought with her from South Korea to Sweden as a young adoptee.

This depth is expressed through the repetition of the recording, through the two facets of the same object, through a reversible mise en abyme, where one and the other exist, yet they are truly one.

A duality that is the same, a variation that is not singular, an alternation that ultimately embodies what itself must be intrinsically—the sincere and complete expression of a person who, in A or B, cannot be the same, yet remains so. The unchanged uniqueness is poignant.

Also, observe in the photo above the piano prepared, as well as the equipment necessary for the desired sounds, including mallets, magnets, and balls. It is particularly poetic to see these spheres aligned, resembling a solar system within the piano, nestled within the very hollow of her instrument. Within these spheres lies the weight of their symbolism. Indeed, each individual contains a universe, is a universe. However, some individuals possess a greater ability to express these worlds, to breathe life into them, to radiate, while those whose universe is close but incapable of such expression find this radiant world particularly alluring, even essential.

Heirloom may express a duality that is not singular, an alternative that merges, but above all, it unfolds a universe of sounds and textures that magnificently unify.

Discover next Space, by Lisa Ullén, Elsa Bergman, Anna Lund

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Heirloom

Tracklisting

1. Heirloom (June 6, 2023) 04:20
2. Fragrance (June 6, 2023) 05:55
3. After Sun (June 6, 2023) 13:00
4. Heirloom (June 8, 2023) 04:43
5. Fragrance (June 8, 2023) 04:47
6. After Sun (June 8, 2023) 14:52

Lisa Ullén: piano

Heirloom was released on February 12, 2024 // Fönstret, Clear Vinyl LP, limited edition of 300.