a mind in the heart is the third album by composer Ivan Vukosavljević, created in collaboration with the Portuguese pianist Joana Gama. Inspired by sacred music from Vukosavljević’ homeland of Serbia, the album is immersed in the classical sound of the piano, the mystery of the Orthodox chant, the horizontal play of drone and melody, and the eternal presence of the sacred in music.
The piece is inspired by the melodic attributes and development of the Serbian Orthodox chant – the unmeasured and semi-improvisational performance practice and overall emotional and spiritual qualities of the music itself. And the way in which those attributes are explored through a completely foreign instrument to that practice: the piano. The horizontal world of melody and drone is translated to the vertical environment of a harmonic instrument.
