Contemporary Works For Piano

[rojo]

Mention here any works for piano composed in the last thirty years that you enjoy.

Here is one of my favourites; from 1980. Frederic Rzewski's Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues, played here by Roger Wright.

+ YouTube Video

Another one-

From Gyorgy Ligeti's Piano Etudes Book 2, No. 13: L'Escalier Du Diable (Devil's Staircase.) From 1988-1994.

+ YouTube Video

[Contratrombone64]

hate to say it, but I'd rather hear the after affect of my siamese cat walking up and down the keyboard

[rojo]

Then don't say it.

These two pieces get my blood absolutely boiling! I find the intensity and power riveting. All the while the Ligeti's playing, I'm screaming 'aaaaah!' inside. Fantastic piece. And the Rzewski is fascinating; the Gershwin-like passages are surprising when they start (although maybe not that surprising considering the title), and I'm sure there's some sort of social or political meaning behind the piece, but the piece conveys so much without any background that one doesn't need to know what that is to be entranced by it, and to understand what the composer was getting at...

In the Rzewski; at 3:15 (approx.) I'm reminded of chords from Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto, the repetitive techniques overall remind me of Glass, and the mixing of genres reminds me slightly of Schnittke. Anyone find 9:04 startling?

Of course I realize these pieces won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I just love them.

[Krummhorn]

Splendid performances ... I can see how this conjures up those inner feelings. Indeed, the surprise towards the end was totally unexpected ... rather unique. Being one who is not knowledgeable about Rzewski's compositions, is this somewhat typical of his style?

What also amazes me about these performances is the amount of practice that has gone into learning these pieces, and then memorized! Roger Wright certainly can handle these pieces with great finesse!

[rojo]

Hi Lars

Actually, that piece is a sort of blending of his styles, yes. Here's some more Rzewski-

From 1979, Part 1 of The People United Will Never Be Defeated-

+ YouTube Video

Bobby Mitchell playing there.

And from a 2007 performance, Rzewski playing part of his Four Pieces For Piano-

+ YouTube Video

So, neat jazz influences and interesting sonorities. But tbh, these are the only pieces I've heard by him, so I'm no Rzewski expert.

(Btw, the Ligeti performer is not Roger Wright.)

Here's John Cage's Sonata No.5 for piano. It's rather neat imo. Funny, I never was a big fan of prepared piano, but I like this. Again, Bobby Mitchell on piano.

+ YouTube Video

[some guy]

rojo, these are great clips. I was thinking, we're supposed to top Rzewski? No way. Then I scrolled down.

Ligeti.

Cage.

Hahahahahaha!!

Anyway, even though you have defeated* us, I still am going to try to play. Tomorrow.

some guy

*Why are men sooooooo competitive?

[rojo]

Ha- When I saw you'd posted I thought I might be in trouble- a correction is necessary on my part; the Cage piece was written 1946-1948, so it doesn't really follow the initial guidelines I set at the beginning, being older than 30 years... perhaps not really contemporary. Oops... Well, still worth posting, imo.

Can't wait for your post tomorrow.

[pliorius]

ligeti's piano etudes are my favourite piano works of 20 century, they are completely splendid. mad, tense, gentle - everything you want from a piece of music to get you all in.

[some guy]

Well rojo, I couldn't find any cool videos.

So I can just mention Ross Bolleter. His site is http://warpsmusic.com/

And Horatiu Radulescu, who's written some very nice pieces for what he calls sound icons, pianos tilted on their sides. Clepsydra is the best of that lot.

There are clips on Bolleter's site, but they're not all equally good. Still, it's fun clicking around there.

The clips on my site are in transition. We've been installing a new player that makes everything much nicer, but it has to be made to word with IE, because that's still what most Americans use. Pfffft.

[rojo]

Hmm, am listening to some of Bolleter's Secret Hills. Will investigate more.

Keep us posted on the developments on your site. Why do peeps still use IE anyway?

I'll keep looking for more stuff at youtube.

[NEB]

Not exactly for piano, but I recently went ot a concert that included a work by Sofia Gubaidulina. Not a composer I knew, and I can't remember the work either. But it was interesting to hear very contemporary classical music and good to see someone is still writing other than for the film industry.

[ses]

Two weeks ago this CD arrived, and I like it very much.




Thema With determination (1'23)
Variation 1 Weaving: delicate but firm (0'52)
Variation 2 With firmness (0'51)
Variation 3 Slightly slower, with expressive nuances (1'05)
Variation 4 Marcato (0'56)
Variation 5 Dreamlike, frozen (1'08)
Variation 6 Same tempo as beginning (1'08)
Variation 7 Tempo (Lightly, impatiently) (0'50)
Variation 8 With agility; not too much pedal; crisp (1'03)
Variation 9 Evenly (1'02)
Variation 10 Comodo, recklessly (0'53)
Variation 11 Tempo I. Like fragments of an absent melody - in strict time (0'52)
Variation 12 (1'12)
Variation 13 q = 72 (1'57)
Variation 14 A bit faster, optimistically (1'13)
Variation 15 Flexible, like an improvisation (1'25)
Variation 16 Same tempo as preceding, with fluctuations; much pedal (1'36)
Variation 17 LH strictly h = 36; RH freely, roughly as in space (1'22)
Variation 18 q = 72 (1'38)
Variation 19 With energy (0'35)
Variation 20 Crisp, precise (0'30)
Variation 21 Relentless, uncompromising (0'46)
Variation 22 q = 132 (0'43)
Variation 23 As fast as possible, with some rubato (0'22)
Variation 24 q = 72 (2'33)
Variation 25 q = ca.84, with fluctuations (2'00)
Variation 26 In a militant manner (1'06)
Variation 27 Tenderly, and with a hopeful expression (5'33)
Variation 28 q = 160 (1'19)
Variation 29 q = 144-152 (0'33)
Variation 30 q = 84 (2'36)
Variation 31 (q = 160) (0'52)
Variation 32 (0'52)
Variation 33 (1'00)
Variation 34 (0'56)
Variation 35 (0'55)
Variation 36 (1'58)
Cadenza (optional improvisation) (6'24)
Thema Tempo I (2'50)
North American Ballads
No 3: Down by the Riverside (5'43)
No 4: Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues (10'27)



This is winning combination of Ligeti and Pygmies music.


LIGETI Etudes Nos. 4, 8, 12, 16, 17 & 18 REICH Clapping Music, Music for Wood Pierre Laurent Aimard, Aka Pygmies Teldec


I very much like the music Rautavaara, and here is a fine concerto.


RAUTAVAARA Piano Concerto No. 3 Gift of Dreams, Commissioned by Vladimir Ashkenazy, Autumn Gardens Vladimir Ashkenazy, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra

[rojo]

I thought I'd seen somewhere that Hamelin performed that Rzewski piece...

Are there any of those Ligeti Etudes that you especially like, ses.?

[ses]

I thought I'd seen somewhere that Hamelin performed that Rzewski piece...

Are there any of those Ligeti Etudes that you especially like, ses.?

I like the 7 pieces by Ligeti, it is a little like some of the etudes of Debussy, sometimes Bartok, sometimes Shostakovich. But there is a different atmosphere, cosmic and dreaming, I think.
(Aimard is a fine pianist (for me) to learn to listen to new things.


PS: The clapping song by Reich is a great one. Aimard claps hands over 3 minutes and he succeeds in making music and forward going energy.

[rojo]

I like the 7 pieces by Ligeti, it is a little like some of the etudes of Debussy, sometimes Bartok, sometimes Shostakovich. But there is a different atmosphere, cosmic and dreaming, I think.
(Aimard is a fine pianist (for me) to learn to listen to new things.


PS: The clapping song by Reich is a great one. Aimard claps hands over 3 minutes and he succeeds in making music and forward going energy.

Sounds like it must be fantastic. Someday I must hear all the Ligeti Etudes. And all those other pieces too. Thanks ses.; will keep my ears open for them.

(Edit- Just listened to Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues again; got goosebumps, again! )