Martyna Zakrzewska: Nine Emotions in Cage’s Piano Interpretation
Martyna Zakrzewska – Navarasa: The Piano as a Space of Emotion / Premiere at the CODES Festival
During the CODES Festival in Lublin, audiences had the opportunity to experience Navarasa, a project by Martyna Zakrzewska. It is a reinterpretation of John Cage’s famous Sonatas and Interludes in a completely new form — performed on a prepared piano. Every element of the instrument has been altered: screws, rubbers, and pieces of plastic enrich the sound, opening up an entirely new spectrum of tones.
Navarasa – Nine Emotions in Every Note
The artist drew inspiration from the concept of navarasa — the nine primary emotions rooted in Indian tradition. In her interpretation, each of Cage’s sonatas and interludes becomes not only a musical composition but also a journey through emotions — from joy and serenity to tension and contemplation. In this way, the piano ceases to be merely an instrument and becomes a narrator of emotion.
Performance and Visual Dimension
Zakrzewska’s project goes beyond sound alone. Her performances combine music with visual elements, creating a multidimensional artistic space where the audience can immerse themselves simultaneously in sound and image. It is an experience that allows one to rediscover Cage’s precision and the subtlety of his compositions.
Presented at Other Festivals
In addition to the CODES Festival, the project was also presented at the Sacrum Profanum Festival, where it received enthusiastic acclaim from both critics and audiences. Martyna Zakrzewska’s interpretation demonstrates that classical repertoire can serve as a point of departure for experimentation — bridging tradition with contemporary performance.
Sound that Becomes Experience
Navarasa exemplifies how contemporary music can fully engage the listener: in the artist’s hands, the prepared piano becomes a medium of emotion, with each sound telling its own story. This project not only reinterprets Cage but also creates space for conscious experience of sound and feeling, opening new dimensions of musical perception.
The publisher is our Centre for Intercultural Creative Initiatives ROZDROŻA.
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Martyna Zakrzewska at the KODY Festival 2024:
