EPTA Frans Schreuder Prize 2013 for Kaja Draksler

Foto Liviu Stefan

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Kaja Draksler has won the EPTA Frans Schreuder Prize 2013 for her master research 'Cecil Taylor: Life as … Structure within free improvisation'. Kaja graduated from the Classical Composition Department last summer.

Kaja Draksler has won the EPTA Frans Schreuder Prize 2013 for her master research Cecil Taylor: Life as … Structure within free improvisation. Kaja graduated from the Classical Composition Department last summer.

The judges wrote about her research: 'Slovenian pianist Kaja Draksler is fascinated by Cecil Taylor, a jazz pianist known for developing a completely personal musical "language" in which the roots of the classical piano tradition, the black heritage and other art forms have merged together. To discover why Taylor’s free improvisations sounded so coherent, Draksler scrutinized his recording of Life as ….;

The jury was deeply impressed by the brilliant and thorough way she went to work. In particular, the jury commends the extraordinary effort she made in transcribing this very complex piece completely by ear, making it possible for the classically educated reader to gain insight into the structure of the piece with the help of music notation.

The jury was furthermore impressed by her investigation into the work’s special pianistic aspects as well as the deeply personal process it employs of improvising with pre-considered material. The analysis itself is fascinating and shows strong intellectual and musical insight, while the top-notch music theory she presents is innovative, for instance the concept of "hand-centered logic". This study offers new insights into the development of musical structure from small, definable building blocks.

The jury will be exceedingly curious to know more about the effects this study will have on Kaja’s own playing, and hopes profoundly that it will lead to interesting innovations in piano teaching as well.

This award-winning thesis will surely give rise to a very worthwhile article in the Piano Bulletin.

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