Collection Of Curiosities - Mathias Coppens - Audio CD (Arrives in 50 days)

Collection of Curiosities I am convinced that art is cyclical. Its meaning is repetitive, but its form is adapted to time and place. Every composition I write resonates with what has been and seeks the meaning and place of our current time in relation to the past. Rather than a closed system, I see my work as an open structure: a field in which thoughts, moods, influences, and styles can intermingle. This collection is not an encyclopedia, but a room full of objects. Each piece is an artifact, a small sonic monument to a feeling, an idea, a moment. Some originated from raw experience, like Testimonies of the Unseen, written from a place of loss. Others, like The Way of Synchronicity, arose from the idea that our consciousness and the phenomena that surround us are connected on a deeper level. Sometimes I work from language — a title, a philosophical idea — sometimes from the form or architecture of the music itself, or from intertextuality. That is how In a Dream came into being, a reference to the immanent impressionistic answer to the transcendent belief in progress of German Romanticism. When I look around during my daily city walk, I see all sorts of buildings, constructed at different times with different purposes in mind. Their form often represents their content and reveals symbolic meaning. I intersect with people from all walks of life, each with their own story, their own context. Plants and trees grow and bloom according to the season, some shaped by human hands, others let loose and wild: their process is slow and organic. The presence or absence of sunlight and moonlight determines the atmosphere – energy can only be experienced in its entirety. All these elements influence each other, coexist, and amaze me. They are part of a collection of experiences, their coexistence is the subject of my work. I believe that style and expression are related, but that meaning only manifests in how both are attuned to one another. My music is eclectic, but not arbitrarily so. What is heard here is not just music. It is also a framework of thought, an intuitive philosophy. The notions of Modernism and Postmodernism are not stylistic labels for me, but attitudes. Sometimes I work from seriousness, sometimes from lightness. Sometimes I try to express something greater than my own insignificant existence — and even though I truly believe in that, I find it important to also put that ‘seriousness’ into perspective. In that sense, I see my work as Metamodern — swinging along with the pendulum movement between belief and irony, transformation and montage, construction and spontaneity. That is not a conceptual standpoint, but an existential reality. The titles I choose try to strike a balance between the anecdotal and the universal. About Agony and the Angel of Acceptance, About the Young Spirit of Ideology, About Irony, In a Cool Concise Way — they are windows, openings, symbolic spaces in which the listener can find something of themselves or of the experience of the phenomena that surround us. Composition technique is therefore not a constructivist goal in itself, but a means to express a spontaneous improvised inspiration through sound. For me, true depth lies not only in a pre-constructed intellectual framework governed by rules, but even more in the architecture of playful openness: in moments of truth. There are references, motifs, layers of meaning that recur in my work. Chronicles questions the relationship between personal memory and grand ideological narratives. Songs about Lightness and Laughter is advice for those burdened by existential absurdity: do not forget your gentleness. From the Book of Restlessness, Sorrow and Delight is a fragment from a larger fictional whole — whether it truly exists or only in the imagination of the listener, I leave unanswered. Collection of Curiosities is a personal collection, but not a closed book. It is meant as a space for others to walk through as well. Everything is scaled: some pieces are magnified, as if zooming in on a certain subject and peeling back its layers, while others offer a bird’s-eye view that reveals relationships. It is a collection that will continue to grow, where new themes will be explored and previously treated subjects may return from another perspective over time. It is the title of this album, but also forms the inexhaustible stream of inspiration that frames my work as a whole. Expression of Gratitude The chamber music works collected on this CD were all composed between 2019 and 2024. My thanks go to the brilliant performers and to Concertgebouw Bruges, who gave me the opportunity to record these works in their beautiful chamber music hall. This happened during three sessions spread out over three years. I would also like to thank my recording engineers Federico Torri, Jelle Tassyns, and Nicolas Callot for their expertise. Although I did the initial mixing and editing myself, I wish to especially thank Federico Torri for his golden ears and tireless help in mixing and mastering this project. Another shout-out to Steven Vanhauwaert who beautifully played and recorded my piano music at the University of Utah’s School of Music. The art of Kati Heck, which plays out on the ambiguous border between reality and fantasy, forms a powerful analogy with my music. Finally, many thanks to her and to the Tim Van Laere Gallery. Biography Mathias Coppens (1988) is a Belgian pianist-composer who navigates a wide range of musical landscapes. In his kaleidoscopic concert works, he searches for a balance between avant-garde experimentation, drama, and simple stillness. He has composed for renowned ensembles such as the Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, and Opera Ballet Vlaanderen. His music theatre work Faust toured extensively throughout Flanders, and his orchestral music was featured at the opening of the KMSKA in Antwerp. His music for contemporary dance has been described as “vivid” (The Independent), “original” (Broadway World UK), “unexpectedly lyrical” (The American), and “soulful” (Seeing Dance). Coppens’ compositions explore the artistic possibilities of cutting-edge technology, as demonstrated in the interactive performance ‘Minerals’ for BRYGGEN Bruges Strings and deSingel. As a film composer, he wrote the music for the documentary ‘Colliding Forces’, where principal dancers from five world-renowned ballet companies came together in London to perform to his compositions. His music has been performed by orchestras such as Brussels Philharmonic, Symphony Orchestra Flanders and ensembles like Bl!ndman, HERMESensemble, Asko-Schönberg, I Solisti, Mosa Trio, Desguin Quartet, Ryelandt Trio, Kugoni Trio, CASCO Phil, the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective and others. Coppens stands out through his search for new concert formats and his sensitivity to emotional layering and imagination in his work. He is also active as a pianist and co-artistic director within deCompagnie with which he has realized groundbreaking productions.

Label: Etcetera | Origin: Holland