Pedja Muzijevic at Piano aux Jacobins – Praise of Freedom in Mosaic Form

Pedja Muzijevic at Piano aux Jacobins – Praise of Freedom in Mosaic Form
Alain Cochard 

The programming at Piano aux Jacobins often rhymes with discovery, whether it's young musicians at the beginning of their careers or older performers who sometimes give their very first French recital in the cloister. This was the case this year with Pedja Mužijević, a Bosnian-born pianist who has long been based in the United States, where he leads an active career marked by numerous interdisciplinary projects. He is the artistic administrator of the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York, artistic advisor at the Tippet Rise Art Center in Montana, and also leads the Concert in the 21st Century residency at the Banff Centre in Canada, where he puts into practice his reflections on concert formats and programming.

Choices that Surprise – and Stand Out!
These are crucial issues for anyone concerned with renewing the audience for so-called "classical" music. Can we envision the future while remaining attached to highly conventional structures—sometimes even completely stuck in tradition—based on preconceived notions and the certainties of "experts," while audiences and their listening habits evolve? Pedja Mužijević responds with a resounding no and allows himself choices that surprise—and stand out!

CPE Bach, Haydn, Ligeti, Silvestrov, Gregory Spears, Antheil, Ravel, Glass, Crumb, Cowell: the list of composers on his recital program was enough to unsettle those attached to traditional formulas. It is the privilege of a festival like Piano aux Jacobins—strengthened by the trusting relationship it has built with its audience over time (having reached its 45th edition this year)—to have been able to program what Mužijević presents as a "Homage to the Mixtape." These tapes, on which music lovers used to compile their favorite pieces, sometimes in an order that created curious juxtapositions. Memories, memories… Curious juxtapositions? They abound in the program of this American artist. But beneath the appearance of fragmentation, the program reveals perfect fluidity, spanning three centuries, from CPE Bach and Haydn to recent works (Silvestrov, Spears), with a significant portion from the 20th century.

Beyond Chronological and Stylistic Classifications—and Musicological Susceptibilities...
From the 18th century, the pianist chose CPE Bach (Sonata in G major, Wq 55/6) and Haydn (Sonata No. 62 in E-flat major, Hob. XVI/52; the very last of the Austrian's). In addition to the decisive influence of the former on the latter (particularly via the Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments), Hamburg's Bach and the Master of Esterházy share a deep creative freedom. Freedom also guides Pedja Mužijević: beyond chronological and stylistic classifications—and musicological susceptibilities—he presents a recital of about 70 minutes, without (dreaded) intermission, punctuated by a few humorous comments.

There are three sections in this journey: at one end, the CPE Bach sonata, interspersed with Ligeti (Musica Ricercata IV) and Silvestrov (Serenade and Waltz of the Moment from 4 Pieces Op. 305 - 2021); at the other end, the Haydn, also interrupted by works from Crumb (Pastorale from Makrokosmos 1) and Cowell (The Aeolian Harp). Between these two poles—like a three-movement sonata—we discover a central, highly dreamlike section (with its dreams, fantasies, and even nightmares), bringing together Gregory Spears (three excerpts from Seven Days, a series of 21 pieces written for Mužijević in 2021—a wonderful discovery!), George Antheil (two fragments from the too-rare La Femme 100 têtes), Ravel (Oiseaux tristes), and Glass (Dreaming awake, delivered with a magnetic sense of sound layers).

Vast Poetic Horizons
There is not a single gap in the musical journey drawn by Mužijević. Intelligent and coherent, it is nothing like an "intellectual" program, appealing on paper but unable to speak to the listener's imagination. On the contrary, it irresistibly transports the audience! Tonalities and characters: the carefully thought-out transitions that Mužijević allows himself open vast poetic horizons. It's impossible to mention everything, but we won't soon forget those Oiseaux tristes, with their rich timbre seemingly emerging from Antheil's La Femme 100 têtes, or the question marks and mystery of Crumb between the first two movements of Haydn's sonata, followed by Cowell's delicate touch before the sparkling and lively Presto conclusion, at the end of a mosaic recital that one would love to hear more often. May it set an example and inspire young, or less young, performers to dare to step off the beaten path. The Toulouse audience, in any case, was captivated by this charming detour. As an encore, a delightful waltz by Hahn and Schumann's Aufschwung from Opus 12, exuberant as ever, extended the audience's pleasure.

Source: Concert Classic, September 2024