Maximizing the Audience

Originally composed for an avant-garde theatrical production, this project acts as an early, crucial vehicle for Wim Mertens' distinctively European approach to minimalism. 'Maximizing the Audience' blends the repetitive, rhythmic pulse of American minimalists like Steve Reich with a deeply melancholic, romantic chamber music aesthetic. The album relies heavily on intricate piano patterns and soaring, wordless vocal countertenor lines, setting the stage for Mertens' expansive solo career.