Da Vinci Jazz
Amir Wahba, Oscar Antolí, Urs Hager, Victoria Kirilova
Physical and Digital Release: 21 March 2025
Victoria Kirilova and her collaborators present Roots & Skies, bringing bass, clarinet, piano and percussion into a contemporary jazz programme shaped by ensemble dialogue and individual musical voices.
16.90€
Digital programme · 7 tracks
Track timings refer to the digital edition.
Amir Wahba is a percussionist and drummer based in Vienna. His work draws on different musical traditions and includes contemporary, classical and improvised music. He collaborates with international ensembles and artists, including the Victoria Kirilova Quartet, whose album Roots & Skies combines contemporary jazz, chamber textures and Bulgarian musical influences.
Oscar Antolí is a clarinettist, bass clarinettist, kaval player and composer from Catalonia, based in Vienna. He studied jazz and modern music at ESMUC in Barcelona and Turkish and Balkan music at Codarts in Rotterdam. His projects bring improvisation into dialogue with Mediterranean musical traditions. He performs with his own quartet and with ensembles including Woody Black 4 and Quartetto Loco.
Urs Hager is a German jazz pianist and composer based in Vienna. Born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1996, he studied jazz piano in Graz with Olaf Polziehn and composition and arranging with Ed Partyka and Michael Abene. He completed master’s studies with Oliver Kent in Vienna in 2020. His activities include international collaborations, chamber-sized ensembles and his own projects as a bandleader and composer.
victoriakirilova.com
victoriakirilova.com
The realization of this album has been a dream of mine for years.
I’ve long wanted to express my love for the musical influences that have shaped me, and find a common ground where they can all meet.
I am profoundly grateful to the Austrian Ministry of Art and Culture for the Start-Scholarship, to the incredible musicians and recording engineers whose dedication and talent brought these compositions to life, to my sister for the wonderful photos and design and to my family, whose encouragement has been my foundation.
Thank you for being with me on this journey. Enjoy!
Victoria
Victoria Kirilova: City of Hills
Roots & Skies · Da Vinci Jazz · Complete
A listening selection from Victoria Kirilova: Roots & Skies · C00997
Selected awards, reviews and interviews. Radio broadcasts and podcasts are listed separately below.
Jazz Journal
An enthusiastic recommendation of Kirilova's debut, praising the strength of every composition, the blend of jazz with Bulgarian and Middle Eastern influences, and the ensemble's evocative instrumental colours.
Read the review ↗ - Jazz Journalmica · music austria
Ternai warmly praises the ensemble's integration of jazz, chamber music and Bulgarian traditions, the narrative strength of Kirilova's compositions and the depth of the quartet's sound.
Read the review ↗ - mica · music austriaÖsterreichischer Jazzpreis
Roots & Skies was nominated for Best Album at the Österreichischer Jazzpreis 2025. Victoria Kirilova was separately nominated for Best Newcomer. These are nominations, not wins.
View the official nominations ↗ - Österreichischer JazzpreisDer Standard
Tošić welcomes Kirilova's debut as a discovery, praising its sophisticated accessibility, elegant movement and poetic blend of folk colours and jazz. The review also singles out the quartet's instrumental contributions.
Read the review ↗ - Der StandardMusica Jazz
Franchi praises the well-structured compositions, the successful fusion of chamber music, contemporary jazz and Bulgarian rhythms, and the quartet's compact sound and close interplay. He regards this as a high-level debut.
Read the review ↗ - Musica JazzJazz Life
“輝かしい才能のデビューだ。”
A positive review welcoming Kirilova’s debut as leader and praising an imaginative quartet album that brings Bulgarian and Middle Eastern folk influences together with chamber music.
MusicMap
A positive review praising Kirilova’s inspired debut as a bandleader and the varied harmonies and timbres connecting jazz, chamber music and Bulgarian traditions.
Read the review ↗ - MusicMapAll About Jazz
A warm assessment of the quartet’s melodic clarity and good taste, while finding its language familiar rather than innovative.
Read the review ↗ - All About JazzWomen in Jazz Media
An editorial new-release presentation introducing the quartet, the album's Bulgarian influences and its cross-cultural musical approach. The page also reproduces press responses from mica and Der Standard.
Read the reference ↗ - Women in Jazz MediaConcerto
The review welcomes the quartet's sensitive bridge between contemporary jazz, chamber music and Bulgarian traditions, finding a convincing musical response to themes of home, peace and belonging. The clipping displays four rating dots; the scale is not stated on the clipping.
Read the review ↗ - Concerto3 minutes only / The Follow Up News
A positive interview and album feature exploring the programme's imagery, Bulgarian traditions and cross-cultural approach. Santangelo praises the originality and compositional coherence. The article identifies its original publication in The Follow Up News.
Read the interview ↗ - 3 minutes only / The Follow Up NewsAll About Jazz · Song of the Day
City of Hills from Roots & Skies was featured as Song of the Day on 9 June 2025. This is an editorial track selection, distinct from the album review.
Read the reference ↗ - All About Jazz · Song of the DayBroadcasts, conversations and listening features dedicated to this recording.
ORF Ö1 · Jazznacht
Andreas Felber interviewed Victoria Kirilova in the 23:03 programme. The official playlist identifies City of Hills, Petrunka and Midnight Express from Roots & Skies, Da Vinci Jazz C00997.
Explore the broadcast ↗ - ORF Ö1 · JazznachtORF Ö1 · Jazznacht
The programme broadcast the quartet's album-presentation concert, recorded at the Vienna RadioKulturhaus on 11 April 2025. This was a live concert recording, distinct from the album tracks and interview aired on 3 May.
Explore the broadcast ↗ - ORF Ö1 · JazznachtRadio Free Brooklyn · Mondo Jazz
Midnight Express from Roots & Skies appears at 6:17 in the published Mondo Jazz playlist.
Explore the broadcast ↗ - Radio Free Brooklyn · Mondo JazzWorld of Jazz
City of Hills from Roots & Skies opens World of Jazz episode 742.
Explore the programme ↗ - World of JazzJazz FM
An interview with Victoria Kirilova presenting her debut album Roots & Skies and discussing the roles of the double bass. Audio and a written presentation are available on the broadcaster's website.
Explore the broadcast ↗ - Jazz FMRai Radio 3 · Sei gradi
Roots & Skies was featured in the episode entitled Da Victoria Kirilova a Francesco Guccini. A programme clipping is preserved on the artist's official website; the artist dates the appearance to June 2025.
Explore the broadcast ↗ - Rai Radio 3 · Sei gradiRSI Rete Due · La recensione di Sheherazade
A radio review of Roots & Skies linked and dated 3 June 2025 in the artist's official press archive. The audio assessment has not been independently transcribed.
Explore the broadcast ↗ - RSI Rete Due · La recensione di Sheherazade
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