Blind Colours is a two-part Soundcreation release that explores the sensory and structural possibilities of a world beyond sight. Commissioned by the Vienna State Opera in cooperation with Johann.Strauss‑Festjahr2025 (JOST25) for Strauss 2225: Dances for the Future, the work is inspired by Devon Healey’s visionary poem On the Wings of Iris—a future-facing text in which blindness becomes an opening toward imagination, intuition, and freedom from visual constraint.

The project features two distinct versions of the same composition:

Chamber Version (String Quintet)
Recorded in an intimate, studio-like setting, this version is performed entirely by Annamaria Kowalsky herself. Layer by layer, she recorded each instrument to create a close, tactile sound world—one that highlights the inner colors and microtextures of the music. The chamber setting reveals the fragility, precision, and sensual detail at the core of the piece.

Orchestral Version
The orchestral recording expands the work into a broader and more cinematic spectrum. Performed by the the Rhizome Collective under the lead of Johannes Vogel, this version brings depth, resonance, and dynamic breadth to the synesthetic architecture of the composition. Subtle echoes of Johann Strauß’ Wiener Blut emerge throughout the score—not as nostalgic quotation, but as a transformed, time-stretched memory woven into the fabric of the music.

Together, the two versions illuminate different facets of the same artistic vision: one inward and crystalline, the other expansive and prismatic. Both invite the listener to perceive music not only with the ears, but with the senses as a whole—color, breath, texture, and intuition.

Blind Colours marks a significant contribution to the Soundcreation catalogue, reflecting the label’s commitment to innovative, multidimensional contemporary music.

Cover Art
The album cover was created by Annamaria Kowalsky herself. Drawing from her synesthetic perception, the visual design echoes the piece’s inner architecture—translating its colors, textures, and energy fields into a single image that mirrors the sensory world of Blind Colours.