Homage to Mixtapes

In the 1970s, cassette players revolutionized how we experienced music at home. For the first time, we could record, curate, and create our own playlists, free from algorithms or formulas. Mozart next to Dolly Parton? Steve Reich alongside Peggy Lee? Why not? These were our personal mixtapes.

Pianist Pedja Muzijevic created this program as a tribute to that era.

Structured like a classic 60-minute cassette, the performance unfolds in three chapters, offering a rich and eclectic journey through time and sound. From the theatrical flair of Carl Philip Emanuel Bach and Joseph Haydn to the playful, tipsy waltz of György Ligeti, each piece invites the audience into a new world. The program also features the tender nostalgia of Valentyn Silvestrov, from the war-torn Ukraine, the sonic innovations of George Crumb and Henry Cowell, and the passionate romanticism of Amy Beach.

This is more than a concert; it’s a celebration of the art of listening, a homage to the joy of discovery, and a nod to the creative freedom of mixtapes.

Track 1

C.P.E. Bach : Allegretto moderato from Sonata in G major, Wq. 55/6 (1765)
G. Ligeti : Tempo di valse (poco Vivace – “à l’orgue de Barbarie”) from Musica ricercata(1953)
C.P.E. Bach :  Andante from Sonata in G major, Wq. 55/6 (1765)
V. Silvestrov : Serenade and Waltz of the Moment from Four Pieces, op. 305 (2021)
C.P.E. Bach : Allegro di molto from Sonata in G major, Wq. 55/6 (1765)

Track 2

G. Spears: Monday Afternoon from Seven Days (2020)
M. Feldman: Intermission I (1950)
Amy Beach: Ballad Op. 6 (1894)
M. Feldman: Intermission II (1950)
P. Glass: Etude no. 9 from Book 1 (1994) 

Track 3

J. Haydn : Allegro from Sonata in E flat major, Hob. XVI/52 (1794)
G. Crumb : Pastorale (from the Kingdom of Atlantis, ca.10,000 B.C.) (1972)
J. Haydn : Adagio from Sonata in E flat major, Hob. XVI/52 (1794)
H. Cowell : Aeolian Harp (1923)
J. Haydn : Presto from Sonata in E flat major, Hob. XVI:52 (1794)