Sanja Vrsalović, klavir: Bojanja
Petak, 26. travnja
20h Sanja Vrsalović_klavir: _Bojanja (program: Cowell, Messiaen, Pärt) @ polukružna dvorana Teatra &TD (40′)
Arvo Part: Für Alina (1976.)
Henry Cowell: Aeolian Harp (1923.)
The Tides of Manaunaun (1917.)
Fabric (1920.)
Olivier Messiaen: Vingt regards sur l’enfant –Jesus (1944.) (izbor)
Regard du Pere
Regard de l’étoile
Noel
Premiere communion de laVierge
Regard des prophetes, des bergers et des Mages
Pijanistica Sanja Vrsalović rođena je 1986. godine u Splitu. Nakon srednje glazbene škole “Josip Hatze”, u dobi od 17 godina upisuje studij klavira na Umjetničkoj Akademiji u Splitu kod prof. Olge Cinkoburove. Studij je nastavila kod prof. Dalibora Cikojevića na Muzičkoj Akademiji u Zagrebu, u čijoj je klasi diplomirala 2008. godine. Iste je godine upisala specijalistički poslijediplomski studij na Glazbenoj akademiji u Ljubljani kod profesora Tatjane Ognjanovič i Bojana Gorišeka na temu klavirske glazbe dvadesetog stoljeća s kojom je htjela napraviti odmak od klasičnog repertoara i dotaknuti se ponešto suvremenijeg pijanističkog jezika. Tijekom svog školovanja uspješno je sudjelovala na više regionalnih i državnih natjecanja iz klavira i klavirskog dua te se usavršavala na brojnim seminarima (A. Valdma, N. Flores, K. Bogino, P. Eicher, T. Ognjanovič, V. Krpan, J. G. Jiraček). Održala je solističke recitale u sklopu “Hrvatske glazbene scene mladih” u Sisku i Velikoj Gorici, u Teatru &TD u Zagrebu, u Ljubljani i Škofja Loki u Sloveniji, te na Bračkom ljetnom glazbenom festivalu. 2011. godine nastupila je kao solistica uz pratnju Mariborskog simfonijskog orkestra u Slovenskom narodnom kazalištu u Mariboru i Ljubljani u dvorani Slovenske filharmonije. Sudjelovala je na 10. Danima Epte u Krškome u Sloveniji te na 33. Majskom muzičkom memorijalu „Josip Štolcer Slavenski” u Čakovcu. Ove godine je nastupila na koncertu HR Projekta u Svečanoj dvorani Sveučilišta u Zadru u svrhu predstavljanja 27. Muzičkog Biennala Zagreb te na samom Biennalu u Zagrebu u sklopu ciklusa Outside EU u Multimedijalnom centru.
Bavi se i pedagoškim radom. Dosad je predavala na Glazbenom učilištu “Elly Bašić”, u Glazbenoj školi “Blagoje Bersa”, te u Glazbenoj školi “Pavao Markovac”. U relativno kratkom vremenu njeni su učenici osvojili četrnaest školskih, jednu regionalnu i jednu međunarodnu nagradu na natjecanjima.
Estonski skladatelj Arvo Pärt (Paide, 1935.) istraživao je serijalne tehnike i aleatoriku te zatim rabio tehniku kolaža. Od sredine 1970ih rabi novi, vlastiti stil, kojega je nazvao tintinabulizam (lat. tintinnabulum - malo zvono). Neka vrsta glazbene paralele tintinabulaciji iz pjesme Zvona Edgara Allana Poea, Pärtov tintinabulizam pokazuje minimalistički karakter, koristeći glazbu nastalu inverzijom određenog akorda, najčešće trozvuka, i stvarajući zvuk nalik onome od zvôna, koji stvara alikvote kako bi iznjedrio ili razvio zvučne uzorke koji su dijelom ili se vežu uz taj akord.Taj je trozvuk, dakle, najčešće zvukovna okosnica djela, od koje se rijetko odstupa. Upravo skladba Za Alinu, napisana 1976. godine za solo klavir, predstavlja prvi komad pisan u tintinabulizmu. Pärt je govorio o kompoziciji kao svojevrsnom procesu samootkrivanja. U svom izvornom obliku, Za Alinu traje svega dvije minute, ali skladateljeva oznaka “Tiho, uzvišeno, slušajući svoju nutrinu” ostavlja interpretu slobodniji pristup samom tempu. Jedna od najznačajnijih ranih skladateljskih inovacija Henryja Cowella (1897. – 1965.) bio je tonski klaster kojeg je izvodio po cijeloj klavijaturi upotrebljavajući podlakticu, dlanove i šaku. Uz to je izmislio cijelu paletu ostalih revolucionarnih tehnika koje su uključivale različito korištenje i tretiranje žica unutar klavira koje su u cijelosti čak dobile i naziv žičani klavir. Razvio je i kompleksan tonalno-ritamski sustav koji je dovodio u vezu matematičke odnose tonskih visina serije alikvotnih tonova s ritamskim proporcijama, čime je anticipirao kasnije slične koncepte i postupke. Valovi Manaunauna je najranije napisana skladba iz Cowellova ciklusa Piano music (1912.), u kojoj eksperimentira s tonskim klasterima s kojima istražuje nove zvukove koristeći žice, postižući začuđujuće zvukovne efekte koji se nastavljaju na skladateljske postupke Claudea Debussyja. U skladbi Fabric koristi inovativne ritamske teksture, dok u Eolskoj harfi, umjesto da koristi tipke za sviranje, Cowell traži od pijanista da ih nijemo pritišće, dosegnuvši žice unutar instrumenta s kojima onda manipulira. Upravo su ova Cowellova dostignuća u eksperimentiranju s klavirskim žicama i zvukom bila primarna inspiracija za razvoj prepariranog klavira Johna Cagea. Jedan od najvećih inovatora među skladateljima 20. stoljeća, Olivier Messiaen (1908. -1992.) imao je snažan utjecaj na mnoge mlade skladatelje, a među njegovim studentima bili su i Pierre Boulez i Karlheinz Stockhausen. Većinu skladbi Messiaen je izgradio na novim ljestvicama i modusima, a nešto kasnije je uveo i osebujnu ritamsku strukturu, slobodnu i nepravilnu, čiji korijeni potječu iz starogrčke ili hindu tradicije. Ipak, i Messiaen je bio pod utjecajem svojih suvremenika, primjerice Schönbergove dvanaesttonske tehnike i Debussyjeve uporabe orkestralnih boja. Bio je fasciniran pjevom ptica i unio ga je u mnoga svoja djela. Povrh svega, njegov je opus bitno obilježila vjera. Gotovo svako Messiaenovo djelo povezano je s katoličkom teologijom i vjerskm osjećajima, što njegovim djelima daje produhovljenu i mističnu dimenziju. Pet Pogleda izbor su iz čuvenog Messiaenovog klavirskog ciklusa 20 pogleda na dijete Isusa (iz 1944.). Cijeli ciklus traje oko 120 minuta, pa su integralne izvedbe ovoga djela uistinu rijetke. Skladba je nastala u vrijeme oslobađanja Pariza od nacističke okupacije i progovara jezikom mistične i pobožne kršćanske ljubavi, a skladatelj ju je posvetio svojoj supruzi. Sva trojica, Pärt, Cowell i Messiaen, bili su skladatelji-inovatori svoga doba koji su, svaki na svoj način gurali granice u svim mogućim glazbenim segmentima, što uključuje: napuštanje tonaliteta, kreiranje vlastitih modusa i ljestvica, sviranje klastera, prepariranje instrumenata, korištenje klavirskih žica, drukčiju notaciju, kompleksne ritamske strukture, itd. Na taj su način bili na samom izvoru tadašnjih umjetničkih tokova.
Pianist Sanja Vrsalović was born in 1986 in Split. After graduating from music high school “Josip Hatze”, at the age of 17 she started studying piano at the Art Academy in Split with Olga Cinkoburova. She continued her studies and graduated in 2008 at the Music academy in Zagreb with Dalibor Cikojević. The same year she started specialized postgraduate study at the Music academy in Ljubljana with Tatjana Ognjanović and Bojan Gorišek, studying 20th century piano music in particular, wanting to step out of the classical repertoire and reach towards a somewhat more modern pianistic expression. During her studies she successfully took part in a number of regional and state piano and piano duo competitions, and also participated at many seminars (A. Valdma, N. Flores, K. Bogino, P. Eicher, T. Ognjanovič, V. Krpan, J. G. Jiraček). She held solo recitals as a part of Croatian youth musical scene in Sisak and Velika Gorica, at the Theatre &TD in Zagreb, in Ljubljana and Škofja Loka in Slovenia and at the Summer music festival on the island Brač. In 2011 she performed as a soloist with Maribor Symphony Orchestra at the Slovenian National Theatre in Maribor and at the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra hall in Ljubljana. She took part at the 10th Epta Days in Krško, Slovenia, and at the 33rd Music memorial “Josip Štolcer Slavenski” in Čakovec.
This year she performed with HR Project at the concert in Zadar, as a part of presentation and announcement of the 27th Music Biennale Zagreb and within the Festival’s Outside EUcycle at the MM Center.
She is active as a pedagogue as well. Until now she taught at the three top music schools in Zagreb: Elly Bašić, Blagoje Bersa and Pavao Markovac. In a relatively short time she had worked there, her students won 14 awards on school level, 1 regional and 1 international competition award.
Estonia composer Arvo Pärt (Paide, 1935) explored serial techniques and aleatorics and afterwards used the collage technique. Since the middle of the 70s, he has been using a new style, that he called tintinnabuli style (lat. tintinnabulum – small high pitched bell). A sort of musical parallel to the “tintinnabulation” in Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, The Bells, Pärt’s tintinnabuli style exhibits a minimalist-like character, employing music derived from an inversion of a particular chord and creating bell-like sounds, which impart various overtones to yield or evolve related sound patterns. The chord is, therefore, usually a sound backbone of the piece that is rarely deviated.
Für Alina, a piano piece from 1976, represents the first piece written in tintinnabuli style. Pärt spoke of the piece as a sort of a process of selfrevealing. In its original version, its duration is 2 minutes, but the composer’s remark „Silently, sublime, listening to ones interior“ leaves the performer with a chance to approach the piece more freely.
One of the most significant early innovations in composition by the composer Henry Cowell (1897 – 1965) was the cluster, which he performed on the entire keyboard, using forearm, palms of his hand and fists. Along with that, he invented a whole palette of other revolutionary techniques that included different use and treating of the strings inside the piano, and that part of the instrument got named string piano. He developed a complex tonal-rhythmic system that he connected mathematical relationship between the pitch of the series of overtones with rhythm proportions, which was an anticipation of the latter similar concepts and procedures.
The Tides of Manaunaun is the earliest piece from Cowell’s Piano music (1912), where he experimented with tone clusters which he used to explore new sound by using strings and creating surprising sound effects that continue what Claude Debussy started in his work. In Fabric he uses innovative rhythm structures, while in Aeolian harp, instead of playing on the piano keyboard, Cowell asks the pianist to silently press them, reaching the strings inside the instrument, where he then manipulates with them. These was an inspiration for the later development of John Cage’s prepared piano.
One of the biggest innovators among the 20th century composers, Olivier Messiaen (1908 – 1992) had a strong influence on many young composers, some of whom (his students) were also Pierre Boulez and Karlheinz Stockhausen. Most of his music Messiaen built on new scales and musical modes, and later on he introduced a peculiar rhytmic structure, which was free and irregular, coming from the old Greek or Hindu tradition. Still, Messiaen too was under the influence of his contemporaries, ie. Schönberg’s twelwe tone technique and Debussy’s use of orchestral colours. He was fascinated by the singing of birds and he introduced it in many of his pieces. But, above all, his work was significantly marked by faith. Almost every Messiaen’s piece derives from Catholic theology and religious sentiments, which gives his works a spiritual and in a way mystical dimension.
Five Contemplations are a selection from the famous Messiaen’s piano cycle Twenty contemplations on the infant Jesus (Vingt regards sur l’enfant-Jésus, 1944). Duration of the entire cycle is about 120 minutes, which contributes to seldom integral performances of the piece. It was written at the liberation of Paris from the Nazi occupation and it has a language of mystical and pious Christian love and the composer dedicated it to his wife.
All three composers, Pärt, Cowell and Messiaen, were composers-innovators of their time and, each in their own way, they pushed the boundaries in all possible segments, which included leaving the tonality, creating their own modes and scales, playing clusters, preparing the instrument, use of piano strings, a different notation, complex rhythm structures, etc. That way they were at the very source of artistic trends of the time.