The Sea Above, XA4 album release

The Dutch composer and pianist Xavier Boot, also known as XA4, will release the album The Sea Above on Friday, October 18, 2024. Following his EP Glass Gateway (2023), this will be his second release on the New York-based record label Orange Mountain Music, owned by Philip Glass.

Xavier is really a wonderful pianist, and I am thrilled by how he now tackles my compositions, with that elegant electronica touch.” – Philip Glass

The Sea Above features not only Glass compositions but also several original pieces by Xavier: “I recorded this album inspired by all the musical influences I’ve experienced in my life, including classical, electronic (club) music, ambient, minimal, and even Indonesian music. The title track of the album is inspired by Philip Glass’s composition Mad Rush. He told me that he wrote this piece for an event with the Dalai Lama, where it was unclear when the Dalai Lama would arrive. That’s why Mad Rush was composed to last either five minutes or an hour. I tried to convey this idea of timelessness in my music, embodying this endless portal of time and space, which was also scientifically described by Albert Einstein. Another track on the album, Train I, is a reworking from Philip Glass’s opera Einstein on the Beach. You can experience the music on this album as a kind of journey, a trip where you are energetically drawn in at the beginning and later enter more of a fantasy world where dreams and unconscious elements of your mind can emerge.”

The Sea Above Concert Tour:

  • October 17: 2 shows at Concertgebouw – Amsterdam (as part of ADE): 7:30 PM sold out, 9:30 PM tickets still available
  • November 1: TivoliVredenburg – Utrecht – starts at 8:45 PM – TICKETS
  • November 8: De Doelen – Rotterdam – starts at 8:30 PM – TICKETS

Xavier Boot is a dynamic and innovative composer known for his ability to blend classical influences with contemporary electronic music. With a foundation in traditional piano composition, Boot’s music is renowned for its emotional depth and technical brilliance.” –  Koko, London

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