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, minimalism of Philip Glass and the passionate romanticism of Dora Pejačević and 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

Amy Beach: Ballad Op. 6 (1894)

Morton Feldman: Intermission I (1950)

Dora Pejačević: Two Intermezzos, op. 38 (1915)

M. Feldman: Intermission II (1950)

Philip Glass: Dreaming Awake (2003)

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)

From the press:

“In short, Pedja Muzijevic has concocted a demanding yet accessible program, respectful of the place and open to today’s world. It piques the curiosity of seasoned music lovers (without frightening them) and young ears (without alienating them). The experience succeeds because he takes the audience along on his adventure.”

Olivier Bellamy, Le Point, September 2024

“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.”

Alain Cochard, Concert Classic, September 2024