Splendor Jazzclub - Pre-Release Concert Philipp Rüttgers Trio

Rediscover Erik Satie

For his second trio album, pianist and composer Philipp Rüttgers dives deep into the oeuvre of Erik Satie. He explores Satie's characteristic melancholy, serenity, and humor and translates them into a contemporary jazz piano trio. The result is a quest for the invisible in Satie's music, while preserving abstract and enigmatic qualities.

Satie's hidden gems

Rüttgers has worked through Satie's complete oeuvre and collected fragments and motifs. He carefully rearranges and reforms these, creating a new narrative within the modern language of the piano trio. Alongside well-known works such as the Gymnopédies and Gnossiennes , he discovers lesser-known pieces like Les Fils des étoiles and Uspud ( The Sun of the Stars ), written during Satie's period with the Rosicrucian Order.

Dynamic interaction

Satie's preference for restraint and reduction is clearly audible in Rüttgers' playing. More expression with fewer notes when the music calls for it, and layered complexity when it unfolds. The interaction with drummer Sun-Mi Hong and bassist Omer Govreen provides remarkable depth. The trio listens attentively, creates an organic balance, and allows transparency to grow into expressive power.

The invisible in sound

Every note, pause, and interaction is steeped in the invisible architecture of the music: the silent tensions, the hidden harmonies, and the spaces between the motifs. The trio uses this space to bring the invisible into view, making the mystery of Satie original and exciting. Do not miss this unique musical experience at the Splendor Jazzclub in Amsterdam.