Verena Zeiner &
Ziv Ravitz
“Orbital” is out! Listen here
“Bridge” is out! Listen here
Verena Zeiner | piano, electronics, composition
Ziv Ravitz | drums, electronics
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Ziv Ravitz at PAZ Atelier.
Produced by Ziv Ravitz & Verena Zeiner.
Cover photo by Ziv Ravitz.
Released by PKmusik.
On their third joint album Sheer, out January 15, 2027, pianist Verena Zeiner and drummer Ziv Ravitz deepen the musical journey they began in 2021 by enriching the sonic palette of their acoustic piano-drum duo with electronic elements. Composition and improvisation blend seamlessly in these pieces, opening up a wide spectrum of musical languages that span improvisation, jazz, and chamber music.
Booking: Agentur Wolkenstein
PR: Uta Bretsch
Photo by Clément Puig
Cinematic arcs, reduced minimal art, and a complex rhythmic spirit of experimentation meet chamber-music intimacy. The compositions connect with contemporary themes such as the fast-paced nature of modern life and the fading of substantial interpersonal connections, interweaving them into a musical narrative of profound craftsmanship and emotional depth.
"…great dramaturgy with often surprising structures within the individual pieces; no two tracks are built alike, each possesses its own musical sign language and tells its own emotion-packed story. You have to listen very closely to capture all the subtleties and refinements of this deeply rewarding music.“
Jazz Podium
The new album's journey began with Verena's three-month residency at Villa Waldberta on Lake Starnberg, as part of "Artist in Residence Munich." The time and location allowed her to engage with essential personal and artistic questions. "There is so much potential for distraction, constant noise, and many loud voices often demanding attention quite brutally," says Verena Zeiner. "We live amidst so much structural ignorance—structures that systematically erode connection, mutual trust, and empathy for one another. Sometimes I feel it has become almost impossible to reach a core where receptivity still exists. Being surrounded by nature, close to the water and the mountains, the residency gave me the chance torecover from the exhaustion caused by constantly standing up to these structures and, in doing so, ignoring so much of my own potential."
The album Sheer is the result of this process. The compositions were mostly written by Verena Zeiner, with two tracks composed in collaboration with Ziv Ravitz. The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered in Ravitz's studio, PAZ Atelier, in Ménerbes in the South of France. It is released on PKmusik, the label founded by Greek bassist Petros Klampanis.
Supported by
Since 2021, pianist Verena Zeiner and drummer Ziv Ravitz have been making music together as a duo. Zeiner, known for her unique and captivating voice, seamlessly bridges improvised music with elements of chamber music and jazz. She is perfectly complemented by Ravitz—an extraordinary drummer, composer, and one of the most sought-after musicians on the contemporary jazz scene.
Their first album The Sweetness of Finitude was released 2022.
For the album Radical Care, released 2025, the duo's sound palette has been expanded to include guitar, bass and a string trio. The pieces on this album play with the combination of contemporary chamber music compositions and improvisation. More here.
Zeiner and Ravitz first met in 2011 in New York City. A long-standing artistic exchange eventually led to their first direct collaboration on Zeiner’s solo album No Love Without Justice (2020), which Ravitz mixed and mastered.
The sonic palette of their acoustic piano-and-drums duo is continually enriched by subtle electronic elements. Composition and improvisation merge seamlessly, opening up a broad spectrum of musical languages. Both instruments can take on the roles of melody, harmony, bass, or rhythm, creating an immense dynamic range: the music moves effortlessly between chamber music intimacy, cinematic arcs, stripped-back minimalism, and rhythmically complex experimentation. Rooted in the present, these thoughtful compositions tackle contemporary themes, capturing the spirit of our time and weaving it into a musical narrative of profound craft and emotional depth.
Ziv Ravitz on the collaboration:
“I see our duo as an exploration of human connection. Duet is the most intimate format of dealing with human relation. We cannot hide who we are, we have to be present, we have to be connected or else it will not work. In any other format you can hide behind action that is not yours.”
Verena Zeiner adds:
“This duo has become one of my most inspiring collaborations. Ziv is an extraordinarily creative person and musician; he possesses a vast sonic spectrum and a remarkably orchestral approach to the drums. As a pianist, this gives me immense freedom in my playing—I can play with deep minimalism or draw from a rich, full palette. For me, it’s a truly gratifying musical playground that I’m exploring piece by piece.”
Photo by Victoria Nazarova
„The musical language the two create as a duo is both sensitive and finely tuned. The individual elements – Verena Zeiner’s incredibly multifaceted playing and Ziv Ravitz’s varied rhythmic work – mesh together in a truly remarkable way. You get the sense they’ve been playing together for years. What they do excellently is charge their music with mood and emotion, transforming their pieces into captivating soundscapes that shift between gentle and fragile calmness, playful dreaminess, and dramatic notes, full of tension.“
The Sweetness of Finitude
2022 | Sessionwork Records | Vinyl, CD, Digital
Verena Zeiner | piano, compositions
Ziv Ravitz | drums
Recorded by David Furrer | Aurora Studios | Vienna, March 2021
Mixed and mastered by Ziv Ravitz
Produced by Verena Zeiner
Artwork by Le Monsieur Flash
Cover photo by Paul Zeiner
Video “The Wordless” by Christina Jägersberger
Pianist Verena Zeiner and drummer Ziv Ravitz dedicate the music of their first duo album to exploring questions of finitude. Which possibilities open up when something comes to an end? How can limitations give rise to something new? It is a meeting of two musicians from very different cultural backgrounds and with individual personal life stories, but also many commonalities, such as their passion for improvised music and their approach to creating music. Zeiner's compositions are the foundation of the album and form the framework for a lively and diverse musical dialogue, with plenty of space for improvisation and collaborative musical creation.
We recommend ordering directly from the artist, as this is the most artist-friendly way to purchase the album. We are happy to send it as vinyl, CD or download code!
〰️
We recommend ordering directly from the artist, as this is the most artist-friendly way to purchase the album. We are happy to send it as vinyl, CD or download code! 〰️
Supported by
„Die musikalische Sprache, die beide als Duo erschaffen, ist von einer sehr feinfühligen und zugleich sehr fein abgestimmten Art. Die einzelnen Elemente – Verena Zeiners ungemein facettenreiches Spiel und Ziv Ravitz` variantenreiche Rhythmusarbeit – greifen auf wirklich wunderbare Weise ineinander. Man gewinnt fast den Eindruck, als würden sie schon Jahre lang zusammenspielen. Was die beiden wirklich ganz exzellent beherrschen, ist, ihre Musik mit Stimmung und Emotionen aufzuladen. Sie verwandeln ihre Stücke in fesselnde Klangbilder, die zwischen sanfter und zerbrechlicher Ruhe, verspielter Verträumtheit und dramatischer Note spannungsgeladen hin und her pendeln.“
„The musical language the two create as a duo is both sensitive and finely tuned. The individual elements – Verena Zeiner’s incredibly multifaceted playing and Ziv Ravitz’s varied rhythmic work – mesh together in a truly remarkable way. You get the sense they’ve been playing together for years. What they do excellently is charge their music with mood and emotion, transforming their pieces into captivating soundscapes that shift between gentle and fragile calmness, playful dreaminess, and dramatic notes, full of tension.“
Photos: Paul Zeiner (live), Ian Ehm (Studio)