AZYL Music
Požoò Sentimentál sú - ¼ubomír Burgr (husle), Boris Lenko (akordeón), Marek Piaèek (flauta) a Peter Zagar (klavír)

viac nájdete na www.pozon.sk a www.a4.sk

Požoò Sentimental ([artist][/artist]) is - ¼ubomír Burgr (violin), Boris Lenko (accordion), Marek Piaèek (flute) and Peter Zagar (piano)

At the first encounter with the phenomenon of Pozon Sentimental the listener can fall easily into a trap. Is this what ÒNew MusicÓ is all about? Is it not just a student joke? A reaction to growing complexity and serious attitudes? Or is it perhaps an expression of the young generationÕs neoconservative beliefs?

Alfred Einstein, the German musicologist (cousin of the famous physicist) once made a witty remark that ÒNew MusicÓ is never really absolutely new, instead, it brings a shift in attention on hitherto marginal features, which are stressed as central ones. PS involves several such Òshifts of accentÓ:

1. Accent on local tradition of small towns, as opposed to senseless attempts to follow world trends and attempts to copy the ÒcityÓ style (computers, lasers, video, etc.)

2. Openness toward the common listener who can find his favourite tunes (in a recycled form) on the programme Ð as opposed to arrogant and elitist attitudes of the Òclassical New MusicÓ that does not even count with the audience.

3. Obvious joy from performing, from simple music making Ð as opposed to ÒsuperhumanÓ virtuosity or conceptual" amateurism (two extremes into which ÒNew MusicÓ has been divided).

4. Acceptance of Òold-fashionedÓ styles of the past and their integration into own expression Ð as opposed to deliberate hostility of all ÒNew MusicÓ toward everything that is old.

But the biggest value brought by PS Ð one, which legitimizes its activity as truly new music Ð is its ability to teach us new ways of listening to music. One is somehow brought to a state of constant alert at their concert, because one never knows what to expect. Each piece is in appropriate contrast to the following one, thus even a common konzertstueck (like for instance a short piano piece by Fibich or original piano duet version of BrahmsÕ Hungarian Dances) is perceived in a different way.

BeethovenÕs Fifth, stripped of its overwhelming monumental sound of the original orchestration, or the main theme from the TV series The X Files without its synthesizer layers suddenly reveal their "true" musical face Ð suddenly we hear more clearly what really goes on in this idealized music. At the concerts of PS, besides enjoying ourselves, we are thus forced to activate our listening habits.

John Cage presented his silence in the early fifties in order to highlight the existence of sounds. Today Pozon has come to say that there is still music.

English translation © [artist]Peter Zagar[/artist], 1998