The Banff Suite

He’s neither a traditionalist nor iconoclast but instead someone intent on engaging listeners with authentic compositions of powerfully evocative character.

– textura

Redshift Records releases pianist Vicky Chow’s latest solo album, The Banff Suite. Described by Pitchfork as “one of our era’s most brilliant pianists,” Chow—longtime member of the renowned Bang on a Can All-Stars—brings to life Frank Horvat’s intense, beautiful, and epic musical journey through Banff National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site celebrated for its breathtaking mountains, turquoise lakes, and unforgettable trails. The Banff Suite features eight solo piano compositions, each inspired by a different trail that Horvat personally hiked, resulting in a collection as physically and spiritually immersive as the landscapes themselves.

I find the work is not simply a pastoral portrayal of nature, but a tremendous spiritual invocation of wonder. Much of the piece occupies the highest registers of the piano and I find this helps capture this rapturous mood.

– David Dalle, CKCU The David Dalle Show

Horvat, whom BBC Radio 3 praises for his “special skill to be able to create a whole atmosphere in a work,” crafts music that ascends alpine ridges, winds through larch-filled valleys, and opens into luminous, still moments of reflection. As one of the world’s leading interpreters of contemporary piano music—and having grown up in Vancouver—Chow brings personal resonance to this project, with many fond memories of time spent in Banff. Whether the pieces evoke joy, solitude, exertion, or awe, her performance captures every nuance with virtuosic power and clarity— inviting listeners to journey through one of the world’s most majestic wildernesses without ever leaving their seat.

Truly vibrant, lively Canadian piano music.
– Joe Hartfeil, CKUA Morningsong

Known for landmark piano works like Earth Hour, You Haven’t Been, and More Rivers (recorded by Christina Petrowska Quilico), Horvat has been called “one of the most inventive songwriters to come out of the contemporary scene in Canada” (The WholeNote Magazine). His music frequently explores the environment, social justice, and mental health, offering moments of spaciousness and emotional resonance in a fast-moving world.

Her playing is exceptionally expressive, varied and colorful! It’s a very “grand” musical adventure!

– Kathy Parsons, Mainly Piano

The Banff Suite is both a love letter to the Canadian Rockies and a virtuosic tour-de-force of contemporary piano music—connecting the wild beauty of nature with the intimacy of a solo performer at the keys.

What he saw, and how he felt, became music.

– Anya Wassenberg, Ludwig Van Toronto

Learn more about the making of this album.

Ah, quelle belle promenade.
– Marie-Christine Trottier, Radio-Canada Toute une musique

The Banff Suite is 100% Canadian beauty. It’s a work to be celebrated, conveying an evocative power worthy of the majesty of an incomparable natural landscape.

– Frédéric Cardin, PAN M 360

Story behind the tracks

Tracks: 01-08 The Banff Suite