Proprium - Tożsamość

Proprium - Tożsamość is an exploration of the question of identity—based on Christian Biegai’s own family history. Born in Germany to Polish parents, he did not identify with the topic of migration for a long time. Only gradually did he realize how deeply growing up between two cultures had
shaped his perception of the world and his own sense of self.

Even as a child, Biegai often perceived himself as "different." At first, he did not see his Polish heritage as something that enriched him, but rather as something that set him apart from others. It was only during a stay in New York that he began to reexamine his dual identity and embrace it as a source of diversity and richness—not as a sign of belonging to two separate worlds. Today, he finds a new sense of belonging in the natural way in which younger generations live out and celebrate their multicultural roots.

This personal development finds expression in the musical structure of the work. The restless first movement in 5/8 time evokes a sense of uncertainty and of being in-between—as if one were caught between two worlds, without clearly belonging to either. The reflective second movement in 3/4 time turns inward and creates a space for self-reflection. In the energetic finale, the pulse of the 7/8 time signature—which initially seems irregular and unstable—ultimately becomes an expression of self-confidence and self-acceptance. Thus, what initially seems foreign and unsettling gradually transforms into something self-evident: the personal and self-assured expression of identity. The Polish title *Tożsamość* means "identity" and thus forms a direct counterpart to *Proprium*. The two titles—the German and the Polish—simultaneously refer to the two cultural perspectives underlying the work.