We spoke to pianist and composer Roman Rofalski about lockdown in Berlin ahead of his latest release Loophole.
What has been your experience of lockdown life?
Except for worrying about my parents and friends who have struggled with this strange and abrupt social isolation, I have to admit that the lockdown has somehow had a good effect on me. I was fortunate enough to receive financial help from the government and some other organisations almost instantly. Suddenly there was no need for the practice, travel and admin I would usually do for gigs – since I didn’t even have access to a real piano, there has been a complete absence of things that have surrounded me for decades. I am left with sports, hikes, cooking, and the question of what to work on musically. I have started a new electronic project with a friend from Amsterdam, recorded pieces for a friend in Brooklyn, and I’ve been practising some particular things without reason or aim, but just out of the fun of doing it. All of these things, that in pre-corona life would have been squeezed around my schedule, have now become relaxed and more joyous.
Is there anything in particular helping you get through the week at the moment?
I am still astounded that my Netflix hasn’t been blasting 24 hours a day. My media and television consumption has been moderate; some Mr. Robot, some Murder on the Orient Express, and of course reading the daily news and German "die ZEIT”-magazine.
I am a little embarrassed that since last year I own a car, which is a ridiculous, outdated and unnecessary thing – especially in Berlin. However, with the lockdown I have been a little scared of using public transport. To be able to leave my house in the car and go for hikes in nature has been a luxurious and wonderful thing, which has definitely saved me from going insane in my apartment.
In addition, my good friend (and the best yoga teacher I know) started teaching online. Since he lives in Stuttgart, it has always been difficult to find time to meet – now we meet on Zoom every Monday!
How has social distancing and lock down affected your ways of listening? Are there sounds you're missing, or are you hearing things you wouldn’t otherwise?
The constant noise level surrounding us each day is something I have become aware of again in the last few weeks. Neighbours are home a lot, talking and yelling. With the background noise of a city being less prominent, other sounds stick out more – my coffee machine boiling, my old fridge gurgling, my toilet cistern hissing every five minutes (something’s broken and I’ve never had the nerve to fix it), the occasional plane taking off from Tegel airport (instead of one every minute). Even working on tunes with headphones adds a different sonic element. This is neither good nor bad, but I find myself wanting more control over when I hear things and when I have silence in my life.
What are three of your essential isolation items?
A yoga mat, my computer, and my fridge to store cold beverages!
What’s been the best meal you’ve cooked since lockdown, and the worst?
As I am living in Prenzlauer Berg in my late 30s, I shouldn’t talk about the Nuremberger sausages we had at a barbecue last weekend that were absolutely mind-blowing, so:
Recipe: Farro with Fennel
Farro is an italian spelt (something I of course didn't know :-) )
Ingredients
- 250g Farro
- 500ml water
- Pinch of salt
- 50ml olive oil
- 1 Fennel
- 1 tsp Harissa
- Juice and peel of 1 lemon
- 50g Pistachio pits (roasted)
- 6 dates, without pits and chopped
- a handful of fresh mint, chopped
- a packet of feta
Method
Boil the farro like rice, (two parts water to one part farro) for 20 minutes.
In the meantime, wash the fennel, cut it in half and take out the hard stalk.
Crumble the feta with your hand, finely chop the lemon peel and put both to one side.
When the farro is almost ready, take a frying pan and heat half of the olive oil. Add the fennel and lightly fry.
Add the dates and keep frying until they are caramelized with the fennel (this should take around 5-7 minutes).
Add the pistachios and continue stirring until they are lightly browned.
When the farro is cooked through, stir in the fennel and dates. Fold in the harissa, remaining olive oil, feta and the lemon juice and peel.
Season with salt and pepper and serve with fresh mint. Enjoy!
More from Roman
Watch Alpha, a music video from Roman’s upcoming release Loophole.
Out on Fri 19 Jun, Loophole is the new solo EP from Berlin-based pianist and composer Roman Rofalski. It filters the musician's passion for electronic music through piano and electronics. The origins of the project lie in a collaboration with the Stockhausen Foundation, which returned Roman to a keyboard and studio setting after something of a hiatus. He brought his love for 90s underground techno to an environment of highly complex contemporary electronic composition.
