A beautifully recorded and produced cycle of works that combine complexity and precision with rich and unfamiliar timbres. The ensemble pieces amplify and enrich a core piano with various combinations of harmonium, double bass, violin, percussion, Hungarian zither, citara bassa, bowed cymbals, alto clarinet, melodica, sampler and field recordings, all sparsely but powerfully deployed. A deep and powerful music, it is distinguished by both crystalline clarity and cinematic low frequency power; and no fat or redundancy. By combining the edgy presence of acoustic instrumental performance with the width and depth of electroacoustic processing, these pieces confound all genre typing; they are fiendishly complex but they grip like a thriller as they unfold and twist through their ten dense chapters. Rare today, this is a living music. Tickmayer by now can safely be counted amongst the best of that late generation of east block composers who combined a fearsome education with an aesthetic that drew even-handedly on the most austere contemporary music, free jazz, rock and '60s electronics. Above all this a CD of prodigious performances and great imagination.