Kristijan Krajnčan 5tet: Alchymia XXI

Running time: 90 minutes 

Tomaž Gajšt, trumpet, Fluegelhorn; Boštjan Simon, saxophone, modular synth; Andrej Kobal, live electronics; Šimun Matišić, vibraphone, drums, percussion; Kristijan Krajnčan, cello, drums, percussion

Alchymia XXI, or Alchemy for the 21st Century, a new project by multi-instrumentalist and composer Kristijan Krajnčan, brings the ancient concept of alchemy into dialogue with vibrant contemporary jazz. At the heart of the work is alchemy as an art of transformation. Rather than magic, however, this transformation is understood as a concrete shift in perspective, listening and awareness. It is about recognising the mystical in everyday life: in the roots of a tree breaking through asphalt, in the eyes of a child still free from prejudice, and in the warmth of the sun caressing our cheek through the power of nuclear fusion.

Krajnčan drew inspiration from a variety of worlds: the images and symbols of alchemy, the experience of shamanic rituals in the primeval forest, the electronic manipulation of instruments, the stirring of buried emotions, and the folk heritage of Resia and Istria, expressed through their microtonal musical traditions.

“It’s human to feel pain. But what matters is what you do with that pain,” says Krajnčan. “Sometimes I imagine that my tombstone would read: He lived like an alchemist. Whatever he touched experienced an improvement, if only by a fraction. That’s the ideal I strive for.”