MetaFilter posts tagged with piano and art

The art of marquetry

sciencegeek — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 06:34:06 -0800

Marquetry is the art of making pictures composed of cut pieces of wood veneer which are then attached to a piece of furniture. Silas Kopf is perhaps the best known American doing marquetry. He works in Easthampton, MA on cabinets, desks, and at one time, pianos for Steinway. He also decorated a piano for Walden Woods using indigenous wood. If you'd like to learn more, you can read his book, A Marquetry Odyssey, watch a marquetry video, an audio slideshow, a video podcast of a visit to his studio which shows techniques and his philosophy on the creative process (NB: the music stops fairly quickly into this 30 minute interview/technique demonstration), read a blog entry about another visit, a newspaper article about a visit, or read an extensive interview with the "wood picture guy". If that piques your interest enough that you want to try it yourself, the American School of French Marquetry is in San Diego, CA and there are two societies to join, the American Marquetry Society (for North Americans mostly; warning comic sans) and the Marquetry Society (for UK inhabitants, mostly).

Olivier Messiaen's "Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus"

Egg Shen — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 20:56:40 -0800

To say that Messiaen's Vingt Regards sur L'Enfant-Jesus (Twenty Contemplations on the Infant Jesus) is a masterpiece is a gross understatement. Over sixty years after its composition, it has rightfully earned the recognition of being one of the most important piano works of the 20th century. ... [It] is one of the most personal and intimate pieces Messiaen ever wrote, and it gives the listener a close look at Messiaen the person. Messiaen was a deeply religious person, and although his faith influenced every single piece he wrote, the Vingt Regards is almost like his own personal spiritual diary. - Keith Kerchoff My kind of Christmas music: I. Regard du Père ("Contemplation of the Father") II. Regard de l'étoile ("Contemplation of the star") III. L'échange ("The exchange") IV. Regard de la Vierge ("Contemplation of the Virgin") V. Regard du Fils sur le Fils ("Contemplation of the Son upon the Son") The Pierre-Laurent Aimard performance in these clips seems to be the consensus recommendation - and can be found online in FLAC.

Hungarian majesty

Blazecock Pileon — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 23:12:04 -0800

Georges Cziffra warms up for the BBC, mixing improvisation with a bit of the first Chopin étude. Just hit the full-screen, crank it up, sit back and enjoy a virtuoso play like it ain't no thing.

Arthur Rubinstein plays Chopin

Trurl — Tue, 29 May 2012 18:18:20 -0800

As a tribute to Frédéric Chopin, we take you to the home of Arthur Rubinstein - one of the most distinguished interpreters of his works. Of course that charm was buttressed by the mind of a superb musician, and by the fingers of a spectacular technician. Rubinstein coaxed a big, sonorous, golden tone from the instrument, and his fingers were in total command of anything in his repertoire. And that, paradoxically, was true even when he dropped notes or smudged passages here and there. For it was clear that a sloppy episode resulted not from lack of native ability but rather from sheer scorn of pedanticism. He was daring, he took chances, and if a few notes suffered en route that was unimportant. He was a natural, born to play the piano, and when he was on the concert stage one felt as though the piano itself was welded to his body. Musician and instrument were one. - Harold C. Schoenberg The Nocturnes Op. 9, No. 1 Op. 9, No. 2 Op. 9, No. 3 Op. 15, No. 1 Op. 15, No. 2 Op. 15, No. 3 Op. 27, No. 1 Op. 27, No. 2 Op. 32, No. 1 Op. 32, No. 2 Op. 37, No. 1 Op. 37, No. 2 Op. 48, No. 1 Op. 48, No. 2 Op. 55, No. 1 Op. 55, No. 2 Op. 62, No. 1 Op. 62, No. 2 Op. 72, No. 1

Bud Powell

Trurl — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 20:50:34 -0800

No musician of Bud Powell’s era had such capacity for improvisatory excellence and was so ready to unleash it, instantly, in such concentrated form onstage. “They get away with murder,” [bassist Curly] Russell said of such geniuses. “When you see the beautiful side of them, and what they can produce, musically, you have to go along with them.” When Powell dug in at the keyboard and poured out seamless yet intricate solos, Russell said: “[A]ll was forgiven. It had to be. If you played music or you loved music—all is forgiven.” A good introduction is Verve's aptly titled Jazz Giant - which includes this dazzling performance of "Get Happy".

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz

Trurl — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:34:14 -0800

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz is the longest-running cultural program on National Public Radio - having been hosted by Ms. McPartland from June 4, 1978 through November 10, 2011. Her guests included Eubie Blake, Carla Bley, JoAnne Brackeen, Ray Charles, Alice Coltrane, Chick Corea, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Andrew Hill, Dick Hyman, Ahmad Jamal, Keith Jarrett, Hank Jones, Oscar Peterson, Michel Petrucciani, Marcus Roberts, and McCoy Tyner.

Circus Galop maximus

Blazecock Pileon — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:12:17 -0800

Marc-André Hamelin composed Circus Galop for the player piano. Performing it is impossible for a mere pair of human hands, but two people have tried to fake it until they make it. Another has transcribed it (or half of it, perhaps) for one player. Often, people will run it through a MIDI sequencer of their choice, to make a lively animation. Some have built Arduino robots that perform it. But, in the end, the best medium for a work this insane is the humble, yet manic player piano (less manic, but clearer-sounding performance here). Hamelin himself has run his composition through one, managing to get his television host to start dancing as the closing credits fade out...

Nyan vs Nyan

Blazecock Pileon — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:11:23 -0800

Contrapuntal garbage on "Nyan Cat" (cf. the rules of counterpoint)

Horowitz in Moscow

Trurl — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 17:14:37 -0800

In 1986,[Vladimir] Horowitz announced that he would return to the Soviet Union for the first time since 1925 to give recitals in Moscow and Leningrad. In the new atmosphere of communication and understanding between the USSR and the USA, these concerts were seen as events of political, as well as musical, significance. Scarlatti - Sonata in E Major, L. 224 Mozart - Sonata in C Major, K. 330 Schumann - Traumerei

Complete recordings of the Beethoven piano sonatas

Trurl — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:23:52 -0800

Artur Schnabel was the first pianist to record all of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas. He would not be the last. An accomplished and charming guide to this music is Andras Schiff, whose marvelous talks on each of the works appeared in the blue previously. I have read high praise of the cycle by Annie Fischer.

"Ride of the Valkyries" arranged for 8 pianos

Trurl — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 21:24:06 -0800

Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" arranged for 8 pianos - performed by Leif Ove Andsnes, Emanuel Ax, Claude Frank, Evgeny Kissin, Lang Lang, James Levine, Mikhail Pletnev, and Staffan Scheja. "What's Opera, Doc?" with live orchestra

Music From Nowhere

wcfields — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 10:17:37 -0800

Since the late '70s, Gordon Monahan has been making a career of extracting the unheard from pretty much anything he can get his hands on. Monahan's works for piano, loudspeakers, video, kinetic sculpture, and computer-controlled sound environments span various genres from avant-garde concert music to multi-media installation and sound art. Such pieces include long string installations activated by wind (Long Aeolian Piano, 1984-88), by water vortices (Aquaeolian Whirlpool, 1990) and by indoor air draughts (Spontaneously Harmonious in Certain Kinds of Weather, 1996). His work for electronic tone generators and human speaker swingers (Speaker Swinging, 1982), is a hybrid of science, music, and performance art, where minimalistic trance music based on the Doppler Effect contrasts with issues central to performance art such as physical struggle and 'implied threat'. John Cage once said, "At the piano, Gordon Monahan produces sounds we haven't heard before." Viewing the loudspeaker as a discrete instrument for generating or 'representing' music, Monahan has constructed a loudspeaker catapult (A Magnet That Speaks Also Attracts, 1986) and a series of 'imitation' loudspeaker installations (Music From Nowhere, 1989). During the 1990's he developed an ensemble of multi-functional computer-controlled sound-machines which undergo various transformations in performance and installation environments. In Sounds and the Machines That Make Them (1994), a computer controls the actions of a network of machine sculptures built from electronic surplus and industrial trash, which generate complex layers of acoustically produced sounds. In Multiple Machine Matrix (1996-98), a remote-controlled robot enters this environment and pretends to learn how to perform and behave on a public stage. Monahan created an interactive mechanical sound installation for the Sony Center in Berlin (Silicon Lagoon, 2000), and has developed installations using computer-controlled water drops falling upon amplified objects (When it Rains, 2000/Theremin in the Rain, 2005). Recent works include multi-channel sound installations (A Very Large Vinyl LP Constructed in Acoustic Space, 2007), Theremin Pendulum, a chaotic theremin installation (2008), and Gamelan Klavier (2009), a composition for gamelan and prepared piano.

Astor Piazzolla's "Libertango" transcribed for piano four hands

Blazecock Pileon — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 23:18:54 -0800

Perhaps a more unusual piano four hands piece...

Like Elton Joel and Billy John

Potomac Avenue — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 07:45:41 -0800

Andrew WK battles Gonzales: A cutting contest like no other. The Challenge, issued by Gonzales (holder of the world record for longest continual piano playing), and filmed by Akira the Don for The Quietus, ended in controversy, with the judge picking against the crowd's favorite. (Previously on Andrew WK)

Serenading the Streets, or Because New York Isn't Noisy Enough

Lutoslawski — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:24:26 -0800

At 9am on Monday the 21st June, 60 pianos will be distributed and then unveiled across New York City by Sing for Hope. Located in public parks, streets and plazas the pianos will be available until 5th July for any member of the public to play and engage with.

“Play Me, I’m Yours” is an artwork by British artist Luke Jerram. [Previously] You can get piano locations as well as upload videos, photos and stories of you and your friends tickling the public ivories on the official site. The project will be concurrently mounted in London.

Glenn Gould plays the Goldberg Variations

Joe Beese — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:33:17 -0800

Glenn Gould plays Clavier Ubung bestehend in einer ARIA mit verschiedenen Veraenderungen vors Clavicimbal mit 2 Manualen - also known as the Goldberg Variations. (previously)

Frédéric Chopin's bicentennial

Joe Beese — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:48:40 -0800

2010 is the bicentennial of the birth of Frédéric François Chopin - a reluctant instrumental virtuoso, an immortal Romantic composer, and all-around bastard. If I wanted to introduce a kid to Chopin, I'd play him the attention-grabbing Etude op.10 no.1 in C major (266kb PDF) - here performed magnificently by Maurizio Pollini.

Diminished major.

goodnewsfortheinsane — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 17:02:30 -0800

Free piano, slight fire damage.

For the well-tempered pianist

Gyan — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 02:26:10 -0800

An interactive Shockwave-based look at Bach's Well-tempered Clavier. Go one level up and explore the entire coverage of Bach.