Today, renowned pianist and composer Sophie Hutchings releases her highly anticipated album, “A World Outside” through Mercury KX. Inspired by her transformative road trip through Australia’s Northern Territory, the album captures the essence of the vast and mystical landscapes with its spacious and hypnotic beauty.
With two nominations for the Australian Music Prize and the National Live Music Awards’ top five live instrumentalists of the year, praise from MOJO, The Guardian, and the release of eight highly acclaimed albums including “Echoes in the Valley” reaching the impressive milestone of becoming the #1 classical album in the UK in 2021, Sophie Hutchings continues her incredible journey with her new album.
“A World Outside” offers a unique blend of cinematic soundscapes, weaving together strings, electronics, vocals, and her signature intimate solo piano sound. As an avid surfer and nature enthusiast, Sophie draws inspiration from her surroundings and ventures to new horizons collaborating with indigenous singers, including the highly respected Yolngu songman Rrawun Maymuru from Yirrkala (a remote community in Australia’s Northern Territory).
The album gradually unveils itself, beckoning listeners into a universe brimming with secrets waiting to be discovered. Hutchings reveals her creative process saying, “I’m a person who needs time away in a natural environment to make music. The bigger and more challenging the space, the better.” Drawing from a profound expedition through Australia, Hutchings skilfully captures the essence of the region’s expansive desert plains, majestic mountain ranges, and captivating rocky gorges in her compositions.
Each track on the album carries its own unique narrative, from the haunting presence of dingoes in “This Elusive Land” to the ethereal depths of “Cloud Beneath the Sea” a collaboration that tells of the Mitwaj or north-east Arnhem Land region, a place where the sky reaches under the sea, each composition unfolds like a chapter in a captivating story. The album culminates with the exquisite solo piano piece “The Wind That Circles Us” which expresses the essence of memories.
She showcases her exceptional talent as both a composer and pianist, having written and arranged all ten tracks on “A World Outside”. The album was co-produced with renowned electronic classical composer Nick Wales and mixed using the cutting-edge Dolby Atmos immersive 360 degree audio at studios in Sydney and Darwin.
Sought after as a composer and pianist, Sophie has been involved with a number of films (most recently Baby Teeth and True Spirit), toured internationally through Japan and Europe, and opened for artists such as Olafur Arnalds, Hauschka, Federico Albanese, Lambert.
TRACKLIST
Dreaming The Stars
A Dead Sea’s Ripples
The Golden Eternity
This Elusive Land
Cloud Beneath The Sea
Into The Wild
Swimming Into The Light
Eyes On The Sun
Back of Beyond
The Wind That Circles Us