Stefan Rusconi - Matthieu Michel: Timbres and Melodic Lines

Stefan Rusconi has already translated the electrical signals of a fungal mycelium into piano sounds. Matthieu Michel, on the other hand, often needs just a single, sustained note to set the mood. Now the Zurich-based sound researcher and the Fribourg-based trumpeter are coming together in a new duo. The difference between them is immediately apparent.

Rusconi first gained recognition with his trio, RUSCONI. Together with Fabian Gisler and Claudio Strüby, he played hundreds of concerts, released seven albums, and repeatedly pushed the boundaries of jazz into rock, electronic music, noise, and free improvisation. After the trio disbanded, he began working more extensively with dance, film, and the visual arts. In “The Mushroom Piano,” minute changes in the electrical conductivity of a fungal mycelium were measured and translated into piano sounds. A fitting project for a musician who does not view the grand piano as a closed system.

After a lengthy creative hiatus, Rusconi returned to solo piano. The album “SOLACE,” released in 2024, sounds focused and personal. Instead of showcasing the instrument’s technical capabilities, he focuses on individual notes, subtle changes, and the effect of reverberation. He composed and performed the piano music for the feature film “KÖLN 75,” which chronicles the making of Keith Jarrett’s legendary Cologne Concert.

Matthieu Michel comes from a different musical world. Born in Freiburg, the trumpeter and flugelhornist began playing at the age of six. As a young musician, he studied with Americo Bellotto in Vienna and Berlin. For decades, he has been one of the defining voices of European jazz. He was a member of the Vienna Art Orchestra, recorded his own albums with Richard Galliano, and can be heard on several ECM recordings by singer Elina Duni. In 2016, he received the Swiss Music Prize.

Despite this long career, nothing about Michel’s playing sounds routine. His warm, clear tone is instantly recognizable. He does not push himself to the forefront, but rather derives his impact from a calm melodic line and subtly placed accents. Rusconi’s piano, on the other hand, seeks friction, shifts timbres, and treats even background noises as musical material. It is precisely this difference that makes the new collaboration so interesting. This duo does not yet have a long history or a familiar formula. Their first chapter begins with two musicians whose musical styles are virtually unmistakable.