Chilly Gonzales — FM4 Radio Session, Vienna, 2018

Live session filmed in 2018 at the RadioKulturhaus in Vienna for the Austrian broadcaster’s FM4 Radio Session, with Canadian pianist and composer Chilly Gonzales (Jason Beck). For this second FM4 session, the artist appears in a more contemplative register than usual, more musician than showman, as close as possible to his instrument. Known for his “Solo Piano” series as well as collaborations with Feist, Jarvis Cocker and Daft Punk, Gonzales explores a repertoire where classical rigour meets pop and a form of self-deprecation. At the piano, he unfolds his melodic sense, his nuanced touch and the taste for musical pedagogy that made his name, between intimate instrumental pieces and more narrative passages. The capture, soberly filmed in a radio studio, highlights the live performance and the acoustics of the room. A valuable live concert for lovers of contemporary piano, on the border of classical, chanson and pop, illustrating the singularity of an uncategorizable artist.