“Half A Century” sounds less like a reflection on the past and more like a point of connection between all the musical worlds that Alexander Nantschev has been a part of.
The album Half A Century, which was released on September 11, 2026, is the third and last entry in Nantschev’s trilogy after Selves and Your Star Smells Like Mine. In its eleven tracks the Vienna-based violinist, singer, composer and producer combines psychedelic rock, progressive music, classical composition, electronics, improvisation and Balkan influences without forcing them all to fit into one particular sound. The album’s strength lies in this freedom since distorted guitars can be placed alongside the violin, synthesizers can come up against odd rhythms, and intimate songwriting can suddenly expand into something much more extensive. There is a particularly interesting contrast to be found in the album’s more melodic and exploratory sections. “Little Ship” right away shows the record’s capacity to combine atmosphere with songwriting, whereas “Voyager Song” goes even further by enhancing the album’s feeling of movement and discovery. In other instances, tracks like “Vibrant Secrets” and “New Sight” demonstrate the more experimental aspect of Nantschev’s composition, the textures and arrangements being just as important as the main melody. The bold “I Am The Bitchwall” also contributes a further dimension to an album that is clearly determined not to remain within predictable limits.
The interest shown by Half A Century stems from the way these contrasting elements are linked rather than just gathered together. Since Nantschev has been working for decades in classical performance, progressive rock, psychedelic music, electronic production and interdisciplinary projects, these various experiences are clearly reflected in the album. The violin is not used in the ordinary way for a classical instrument, nor are the rock and electronic parts included simply as decoration; instead they form part of the same musical language. There is a strong feeling of completion about the album. Since it is the final part of the trilogy, *Half A Century* gathers together the ideas which have been growing in Nantschev’s more recent work while at the same time allowing room for something new. The outcome is an album that remains personal without turning into a simple retrospective; although it looks at fifty years of musical experience, its true concern is what takes place when all those influences keep on evolving.
The album Half A Century shows Alexander Nantschev to be an artist who is not so much concerned with settling on a single musical identity as with examining the possibilities that arise when a number of identities coexist.
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