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MAJA MIJATOVIĆ – TO CATCH A RUNNING POET Often one begins something without quite knowing where the journey is headed – whether an idea that has only been imagined is viable and fruitful, whether one is at the right point to carry it out oneself, and what will happen to one on the way into the unknown. Not infrequently, however, it is precisely such risky and daring undertakings, steps in a previously unknown direction, that then bear the most beautiful fruits. You are holding one of these beautiful fruits in your hands: the portrait album »to catch a running poet« by Maja Mijatović is the result of collaborations between the harpsichordist and various contemporary composers, which the harpsichordist had begun long before. Because at the beginning it wasn't clear that an album should be made. Rather, it was an inner concern of Maja Mijatović to deal with contemporary music in as many facets as possible. Your instrument - the harpsichord - does not suggest this, as it is primarily located in historical performance practice, thorough bass and continuo playing and the music of the Baroque. However, as a person of our time in the strongest sense, as a person whose interests include many things, including the present and its cultural manifestations, it seems neither possible nor desirable for Maja Mijatović to focus solely on the performance of long-past works. It was out of inner drive, the sheer desire to encounter the unknown, that Maja asked composers for new pieces. The connections between the interpreter and »their« composers are different. Some have been friends and acquaintances for a long time, others only came along later and then, when the idea of an album had solidified, composed "for" it, so to speak. Of course, the works are also different. Eight compositions, nine pieces (Christian Diendorfer composed his work in two parts) - and nine completely different approaches to the task of writing a new work for solo harpsichord. It should not go unmentioned that this diversity demands a lot from the interpreter: not only the fundamentally different approach to music in New Music, the changed way of thinking in terms of forms, material and structure means a leap – out of itself, so to speak, into one often very fresh morning air. Also technically, with the double question of purely technical solution of the game to be played and vice versa the playful solution to the technical requirements, there is often a great deal to be done in mastering new works. Maja Mijatović set herself this task nine times on "to catch a running poet" - the composers did not disappoint, of course, and each set their own challenges. While some pieces are rooted in the tradition of playing the harpsichord and certain highlights of earlier contemporary explorations of the instrument can be felt - György Ligetis Continuum still shimmers through here and there – others move far away from this sphere and demand a use of the instrument that is completely opposite to traditional playing practice. Examples include the extremely fine plucking of the strings with the quill pen unhinged, producing hardly any deflection, the use of the belt pull as a sound element, the targeted playing of individual overtones, or the use of strumming devices that are foreign to the instrument. With such considerations, it is not always clear from the outset what the result could be – whether the actions are feasible and will sound at all, or whether the idea will be overtaken by the physical reality of the existing instrument. The virtuosity of such techniques is, of course, of a different nature than the one mentioned above, which is closer to the tradition of playing technique. Often, however, it is a special challenge, especially in combination with the traditional way of playing. It requires the performer to accept a different sensitivity to the sound as a phenomenon and its smallest changes, to learn a completely new technique and at the same time to be available at all times as a harpsichordist in the familiar sense. Here and there - if one wants to draw a contrast of the approaches - the skills required are considerable. When the harpsichord is used more traditionally, the texture of the music itself tends to be highly complex. The runs, for example, are intricate and erratic, the tempi and playing speeds high, the rhythms difficult, to name just a few examples. The interpretation of the form is also not easy in all the existing works. The interpreter is challenged here to form a whole in her playing from sometimes strongly contrasting parts, without knowing that the already formative power of tradition is behind her. The clearing of such new land is perhaps the most important of the difficulties in the development of new works given here as an example. While notation is helpful here, it can never bridge the abyss that separates construction from reality. It is up to the interpretation to build this bridge. In the present case this has indeed been achieved. Play and technology mesh seamlessly, the sheer necessity of getting from the purely technical reproduction of disparate sound events to music became a powerful virtue that gladly accepted the task of design. The new works were incorporatedplays, interpreted in the strong sense of the word. Out of all the limitations and all the difficulties, Maja Mijatović's playing gave way to the freedom that the scores had been looking for from the start. The careful design and tonal disposition corresponding to the respective piece, the accuracy of the implementation of the scores as well as the variety of tonal phenomena of only one instrument are able to inspire. On the one hand, »to catch a running poet« is an impressive document of what initiative and curiosity can produce, but on the other hand it is also a spearhead for the creativity of contemporary music. Last but not least, an »experimental arrangement for leaps in time«. The old instrument enters into a dialogue with today's musical language and expressiveness with ease and with great ease. The space opens up, one might think, for listening, so to speak, between times. However, this is reserved for you as the listener. Embark on the sonic journey of discovery on this CD without any reservations - even without knowing where it will lead in the end. Hannes Dufek MARGARETA FEREK-PETRIĆ, born in 1982 in Zagreb (Croatia), is the winner of several prizes and awards. Their music is characterized by colourful, powerful tones, with humor and clear rhythms like a trait towards the absurd. When she is not composing, she enjoys visiting exhibitions, wine tastings and theater productions, or dancing to Balkan music. She is married and lives in Vienna. Istaratu (2016) refers to the Babylonian goddess Ištar, who embodied both love and war. »Ištaratu« is plural and refers to the aspect of the deity that stands for pure femininity. Incarnated as a morning or evening star, Ištar could assume male, female or hybrid form. The music follows these ambivalences. Istaratu was awarded twice at the Prix Annelie de Man in 2018. RAFAEL NASSIF, born in 1984 in Juiz de Fora (Brazil), is a composer whose work unfolds between the poles of space, time and hearing. His works are not process or form development - they are places of perception. He has received several awards (including the Berlin Art Prize in the music category) and lives in Graz as a composer and teacher of composition, piano and Tibetan yoga. empty forms (2017) CHRISTIAN DIENDORFER, born in Mistelbach (Austria) in 1957, is a multi-faceted composer of the middle generation. He studied composition (with Roman Haubenstock-Ramati and Francis Burt) as well as music education and instrumental music education. His work includes chamber music and orchestral works as well as opera The wall (after Marlen Haushofer), but also music for children and young people. PSI (2005) and PSI song (2010) The flutist and composer SYLVIE LACROIX, born in Lyon (France) in 1959, is a founding member of Klangforum Wien and a member of the Trio Amos. Well versed in contemporary music as well as in historical performance practice, her compositional work includes chamber music with or without electronics as well as works for ensemble. As a composer, she has also realized a number of projects for and with young people. “courante” was written in 2013 for Maja Mijatović and is at the same time a portrait of this wonderful musician - the compositional material is based on her name - as an approach to the musical tradition of the 18th century. It begins quickly, like a courante, and develops as a suite in several movements. The work was awarded the Prix Annelie de Man in 2015. PETER JAKOBER, born in 1977 in Kaindorf ad Sulm (Austria), is a versatile artist. In addition to composing concert works (eg for the ensemble recherche, the Aleph guitar quartet and the Klangforum Wien), he often works in contemporary dance (with the choreographer Paul Wenninger). A cooperation with the ensemble is also worth mentioning.h[iatus. CD productions of his music have appeared on césaré and Kairos. He lives in Vienna. dringen (2017) - machine and human sound - the tape and the sound played live enter into different connections, penetrate each other. In a 32-fold superimposition of microtonally shifted layers of sound that follow an overtone spectrum, a powerful, shimmering sound fabric unfolds. Research and unconventional experimentation are part of the repertoire of TAMARA FRIEBEL (born 1975 in Cohuna, Australia). The versatile artist works across genres in addition to music in the areas of (light) installations, performance, poetry and architecture, thereby always creating added value in terms of atmosphere. These holistic approaches also arise in teamwork with other artists. (C Friede) Dance me to my rebirth (2017) searches for »sound orbitals«. The three sections follow a pregnancy from within (I. Delicate flutters) about the formation (II. Two heartbeats within) on the preparations of an old soul to accompany you on your life path (III. It's always just the question of not forgetting). MANUELA KERER, born in Brixen (Italy) in 1980, loves to be amazed and is always on the lookout for new sounds, surprises and challenges. She received several awards, e.g. the Walther von der Vogelweide sponsorship prize, the SKE Publicity Prize and the Austrian State Scholarship. In addition to studying composition, she also completed law and psychology. Garnet (2017) is inspired by the texture and taste of the pomegranate and the diverse cultural associations surrounding this fruit. The cores correspond to tones and sounds, the outer frame was found in the color red and the intensity. 16 or 18 - this is the chromosome number of the pomegranate (2n = 16 or 18) - became structurally important numbers. HANNES DUFEK, born in Vienna (Austria) in 1984, is a composer and improviser and co-founder of the Ensemble Platypus (www.platypus.or.at). His compositional work is characterized by ever new formulations and implementations of a »utopian«, a concrete and tangible utopia in the medium of art, as well as the critical examination of capitalist society. He lives in Vienna. arresting images (2014 / 2017) – images stop, arrest, but also: arresting images that bind us – is an installative work that enables many forms to have equal rights. Central in every version are always density, high tempo and rapidly changing attention. As in (medial) reality, the images dance, unsteadily, in stroboscopic flickering, and they demand to be seen.
Thanks to Helmut and Thomas for keen ears, humor and team spirit and, together with Hannes, for the generous and tireless support of this project program:
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