David Greilsammer : Dance or Die

It was a few years ago, during a journey in the Amazon. Attending an ancestral ceremony, I was struck by a visceral need to change how I approached my instrument. Obviously, I had no piano around me at that moment, but I knew I would henceforth have to approach it through a more bodily, more choreographic, more immediate vision, expressing the human desire to dance to be free, in a world that seems increasingly senseless and cruel. Strangely, it was at that very moment, deep in the Colombian jungle, that the piece destined to become the cornerstone of this album crossed my mind: Schumann's Davidsbündlertänze.

Through its eighteen ephemeral dances, symbolizing the fight for art, this piece also conceals, behind its notes, a secret love letter from the composer to his beloved. The two baroque dances by Purcell, with their striking modernity and rhythmic power, or the two preludes by Debussy, unveiling the whimsical choreographies of unreal creatures, also appeared essential to me for this journey. But alongside these three composers of the past, I felt the need to traverse the dance universe through the perspective of three contemporary female composers from diverse cultures and traditions. This profound dialogue between modern sounds and those of another era was vital.

The work of Carolina Noguera, La Nuit des Corps – blending rituals of her native Colombia with a resolutely contemporary musical language – was destined to take center stage in this journey. Interweaving the diverse worlds in which she evolves – classical pianist by day, DJ by night, and collaborator with several pop icons – British musician Georgie Ward composed a piece fusing the realms of techno and body percussion, propelling us into an imaginary nightclub. Drawing upon her Nigerian roots and paying homage to the rhythmic power of African percussion, Nkeiru Okoye created an unbridled, mystical, and simmering music.

As Nietzsche told us in his marvelous book Thus Spoke Zarathustra: "Il faut avoir une musique en soi pour faire danser le monde".