Sylvie Courvoisier’s solo work spans a gamut of sonic expression both vast and personal. This is evidenced by the performance she gave in Bremen, Germany before she was presented with the 2022 German Jazz prize in the International piano category:
Sylvie’s musical language draws equally from her deep engagement with the 20th century modernism of composers like Messiaen and Ligeti and creative improvisors like Cecil Taylor and Thelonious Monk. Her fluency working inside the piano with non-invasive techniques and preparations is unmatched and forms an evocative counterpoint with her masterful touch on the keyboard. Of course these aspects are evident in her ensemble work with her long acclaimed trio and the recent piano duo collaboration - Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and her Spectre d’un songe with Cory Smythe. However, nowhere are they more in evidence that in her solo playing. She moves fluidly through her ever growing book of compositions, presented both complete and in fragments and adds sections of open improvisation where anything might occur. Stark, peaceful beauty and startling violence can occur in surprising proximity. At the same time she always seems to weave recurring elements through these forays tying varied sections together to feel ‘of a piece’.