PENTATONE releases Organised Delirium, featuring Tamara Stefanovich, in March 2025.
A Life’s Work, A Life’s Manifesto
Organised Delirium is pianist Tamara Stefanovich’ personal exploration of the sonata form, centred around Boulez’ Piano Sonata No. 2 which she studied in close collaboration with the composer, reigniting her passion as a performer. Boulez’ Piano Sonata No. 2 represents a restructuring of music after its destruction during World War II.
Boulez’ iconoclast piece is paired with twentieth-century sonatas by Eisler, Bartók and Shostakovich, each questioning the use of the term ‘sonata’, while the programme closes with a return the sonata’s origins by way of Domenico Scarlatti. Appearing in the context of Boulez’ centenary, this adventurous album reveals a strong kinship to Stefanovich’ PENTATONE debut Influences (2019), and deepens our understanding of the sonata, its history and its many shapes.
The New York Times lauded Tamara’s recent concert performance of Boulez’ Piano Sonata No. 2, stating that “Ms. Stefanovich’s performance was staggeringly brilliant”. Praised by The Guardian as “fearless, dazzling, exceptional”, Tamara Stefanovich is one of today’s most adventurous and sought-after pianists. After Influences (2019), Visions (2022) and Nicolaou: Etudes & Frames (2023), she now releases her fourth PENTATONE album.
“Delirium and organisation in its extremes are all around us, in an incredible disbalance. The notion of “Organised delirium” stems from Antonin Artaud, and Boulez often used it. For me, it is a starting point for this album, and Boulez’ Second Sonata is the centre point of ignition. It is a four-movement sonata, taking Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata as a model for an unapologetic reckoning with the past, taking the old musical form as a catalyst and giving it a frenzied, feral and fantastic escape from the chaos that happened in the aftermath of the Second World War. The explosive emergence of phrases, eclipsing any expectation of structure, its delirium is obviously utterly organized, but its gestures are deeply human, intensely youth-infused and brilliantly expressive.”
Tamara Stefanovich, pianist
Digital Release Date: 7 MARCH 2025
Physical Release: MARCH 2025
Released as a Standard CD and in digital formats for streaming and high-resolution downloads.
