Music that breathes

We meet Nataša Grujović high above the rooftops of Belair. The view from her balcony couldn’t be more impressive; the capital seems to lie at your feet from here. However, on the day of our visit, the city is more or less shrouded in fog, which makes our photo session all the more exciting: the accordionist above the sea of fog, reminiscent of Caspar David Friedrich and his famous Wanderer above the Sea of Fog.

Grujović, whose flat is home to three accordions and an array of corresponding effects devices, even treats us to an impromptu performance on the balcony. However, her music has little to do with the typical sounds one might associate with accordion music.

Forget seafaring tunes and cheesy music shows—her music is high art, fragile in its beauty and highly experimental. When Grujović plays, she seems to merge with her instrument. You can literally hear the accordion breathe, but this must be seen—and, above all, heard—to be believed. Writing about music, as the saying attributed to Frank Zappa goes, is like dancing about architecture.

We first saw Nataša Grujović perform live ten years ago at the Philharmonie, where she played with her long-time musical companion and mentor, Steve Kaspar, as part of what was described as an "acoustic dialogue in real time" in the Espace Découverte.

That performance left such a lasting impression on us that we’ve watched the duo perform countless times since, most recently in 2020 at the Kufa in Esch/Alzette, opening for the American drone legend Sunn O))). Only a few months later, Steve Kaspar unexpectedly passed away at the age of 68, leaving Nataša Grujović bereft of her musical partner and best friend—a devastating blow.