Grazyna Bienkowski © Lara Herbinia
Vexations revisited
Les Brigittines - Mezzo , BruxellesBased on Erik Satie's work Vexations , Grażyna Bienkowski constructs a hypnotic, meditative and playful sound space.
In 1893, Erik Satie wrote, regarding his work Vexations, that its motif should be repeated "840 times in succession." This composition, which Satie had no intention of performing or publishing, was first interpreted by John Cage and ten pianists in 1963. Capable of lasting for dozens of hours, it entered the annals of experimental music. Beyond this repetition, which Grażyna Bienkowski develops to a hypnotic degree in Vexations Revisited, other musical games are possible. Grażyna Bienkowski seizes upon these, drawing on influences ranging from Baroque to jazz, to create a soundscape that is both meditative and playful.