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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!
There's been an ongoing thread about Valentina Lisitsa, over in the main pianists corner forum. However this work has nothing to do with her, and everything to do with Ukraine!
The title "Палаючий київ" means "Burning Kiev" in Ukrainian, and as it so happens it was composed 14 months ago, when the whole issue started to go public in the west.
You see, there are ways to be political, without being insulting! There are ways to comment on what's happening today, without resorting to hate speech.
Composed for a composition competition in Vienna, where it didn't win, I was allowed to produce my own publication and recording and thus I did. Heather W. Reichgott (a lovely member here and a brilliant pianist) did the recording back in her home, and as you can hear it's one heck of a difficult piece really. But she pulls it off so fantastically that I simply couldn't believe the quality of the performance. In fact, I shouldn't be ashamed to say that I changed a few things on the score (minor details really, but still) based on her performance. I find that this is how a true collaboration should be.
Someone who knows her mentioned that this is a great "war piece". I don't know about that really, but I really hope that it shows my frustration on the matter, being rather close to Ukraine.
Initially I wanted to do a video with live footage from Kiyv, last year, but when I starter compiling the video and decided to check with Oleg Bezborodko (a composer from EMF) and to be honest he was very correct to mention that these images were really hurtful for him: Showing the plaza 100 meters from where he worked and 500 meters from his home, people who might be killed or injured and were his friends. Overall it felt too personal, so I opted NOT to use that video and instead use the video you're watching above.
That said, I think it's proper that I also show the cover of the score (without absolutely any will to spam or advertise). Reason is that I find it's a great piece of art by William Chajin (Colombian artist, who used to live in Japan).
Nikolas, maybe you should check the upload as it freezes after 23 seconds here. The video cursor keeps moving but there's no audio until 2m06s when it begins again.
You see, there are ways to be political, without being insulting! There are ways to comment on what's happening today, without resorting to hate speech.
....exactly! Congratulations for your composition, Nikolas, and a big BRAVO! to Heather for her excellent way how to bring it to life! Music cannot change the world, but at least it can be a way how to express consternation, hope and many other feelings. Your composition breathes honest emotions, and I deeply hope that all those who are blinded by hatred for now will wake up from their nightmare one day and devote their lives to things which make sense. If music only helps people still to believe in the possibility of such a future, this is already a lot....
This is a very nice composition and Heather played it AMAZINGLY well! And the artwork is superb.
It seems like a lot of composers are writing war pieces these days. Stefan Abels has his War Frieden which he performed in a composition competition yesterday.
The environment has been influencing me as well, with much straining in this year's music against the insanity of it all . . . with Love, Rebirth and Cosmic Acceptance . . . and also The Isle of Peace . . . both massive . . . and personal trauma with a month or two in addition of stress-off-the-charts has helped, and as well some recent experience has reignited the fire in my soul. Without music composition I might fall into a deep pit of anxiety and depression - everything goes into it now, with no exception.
I am surprised this composition by you didn't win. I didn't hear the other compositions, and yet maybe composer competitions are a bit like piano competitions . . . when it is about "winning" instead of only about beauty and nothing else, then the priorities of the jurors become conflicting.
One can think of a pianist who plays beautifully (or a composer who composes beautifully, as you do) and yet a flaw in the technique, or a compromise with rigid patterns for the sake of expression, and it is all over . . . compositions are supposed to have their internal pattern and meaning, yet some emotive things are just to large to squeeze into music notation with total consistency unless one happens to be a composer like Beethoven, Mahler or Bruckner - and there just aren't going to be many composers around like that.
Congratulations again on the composition, and also to Heather and the visual artist!
Tony: Thank you for listening and for your comment! Yes, it's exactly what you say, though I'm mad enough to think that perhaps music could in a way change the world (just a tiny bit) in ways that non abstract art, or texts can't. I'm turning more and more into someone who exports my political and social worries.
Michael: I know how composition competitions run. In fact I've been in a jury of one such competition, not too long ago!
I'll just say that the winning competition was MUCH more contemporary than my work. Filled with graphic notation and stuff. And, something that I find rather interesting, the composer was from Ukraine! I can't see that merely as a coincidence.
But it does mean that my instinct about what's happening globally is spot on! Even if I lost the competition (which is fine really, cause then I wouldn't be able to sell the score and publish it and get the recording, so, it's ok).
Hi, Nikolas! IMO, just a bang-up good piece! And Heather presented it very effectively, as others have noted. Although you gave it a descriptive title, I related to it more as "absolute" music, very reminiscent of Bartok. Thanks for sharing this!
Happy to see this is getting ready for publication. I find this to be a very emotionally meaningful piece. Both the shock of war and the blasted, lonely aftermath are here. And you don't really tie up the ends too neatly at the end either. (as you shouldn't.)
I hope others here will enjoy playing this work.
Heather Reichgott, piano
Working on: Mel (Mélanie) Bonis - Sevillana, La cathédrale blessée William Grant Still - Three Visions
I should add, this was not a home recording, it was done at Northfire Recording Studios in Amherst MA by engineer Marc Seedorf. Piano is a Yamaha C7 and there are six or seven microphones in different parts of the room.
Heather Reichgott, piano
Working on: Mel (Mélanie) Bonis - Sevillana, La cathédrale blessée William Grant Still - Three Visions
Obviously any piece of instrumental music can be seen/heard as "absolute music" and in all honesty this is correct. However, I am hoping that by giving a specific title (other than "Tocatta in whatever tonality") and a backdrop on how this piece came to be the performers and audience alike will be able to share some of my feeling for this piece and the matter dealing with..
Greg,
Let us hope, indeed.
Heather: There you are!
First of all, have you received the scores? The score is available for sale, and so is the Beauty & Hope in the 21st century, CD and score (which I've sent to you a couple of weeks ago). If you don't get them within this week, this might mean they are lost or something... Let me know...
And, it's very clear that this is a professional recording! A very well made one, not only for your performance, but also from the engineering part of it!
If I had a better sense of (any) contemporary style and how that style may convey cogent messages to its listeners, I might be able to make some intelligent comment about this work. Not being able to do so, I will simply say that it is an impressive piece impressively performed.
Vid: Thanks. If you do get to purchase it and get to perform it that would be awesome. It's certainly not the "best kind of music" to sell and make money, but I think it deserves a spot in someone's repertoire...
Bruce:
First of all thank you.
What you're asking is a problem I've been facing first of all with myself and with others, including well known music critics.
Instrumental music is "absolute" music, so no matter how I'd like for this piece to pass over my sentiments about something, this simply is not possible, without the title. Without the title this could be a work about my cheating wife, dying dog, whatever.
BUT
With the title (and the cover if I may, which is why I linked it) I'm giving a very solid insight on how this piece came to be. I could write a whole essay on how I felt when I saw video footage of Kiev from last February, how I felt when I got to speak with Ukrainian friends and how close I feel to this issue, living in Greece and thus rather close (geographically) to this situation, also because Greece is getting closed to getting into some very serious trouble!
As I believe in allowing some freedom in the performers (and hopefully Heather can attest to that) I also try to allow some freedom to the audience.
Quite some time ago I made a thread here in PW, about a violin duet piece of mine which had the rather unfortunate title of "my f***ing life". The titled changed to "Anger & Depression" which is clearly a descriptive title, yet again. A non political one, yet very descriptive, without any swearing necessary. If the title of the duet serves the music fine, then maybe the "burning Kiev" also works in similar ways.
____________________________
On a side note I've had quite some hard time deciding whether to publish this score or not. I am still worried that perhaps I should self censor myself, but I really hope that it doesn't seem that I'm taking advantage of such a situation for my benefit.
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Extra note.
On my way back from Frankfurt I flew through Kiev.
I did feel a tiny bit worried, but there wasn't any problem after all (and I'm still here anyhow).
The one thing that I wanted was to get some local currency, so I bought a chocolate for 2 euro in the airport. I only had a 20 euro bank note, which I handed to the cashier and told her that I'd like the change in local currency, to which she replied that she doesn't have so much money. She did agree, however, to change 3 euros into the local currency (the hryvna). I got 78 UAH.
The Hryvna has lost around 65% of its power over the last year!
Hi, Nikolas! IMO, just a bang-up good piece! And Heather presented it very effectively, as others have noted. Although you gave it a descriptive title, I related to it more as "absolute" music, very reminiscent of Bartok. Thanks for sharing this!
Those were my reactions to the piece and its performance, as well, although I think I initially got a sort of Ligeti vibe instead of Bartok.
Hi, Nikolas! IMO, just a bang-up good piece! And Heather presented it very effectively, as others have noted. Although you gave it a descriptive title, I related to it more as "absolute" music, very reminiscent of Bartok. Thanks for sharing this!
Those were my reactions to the piece and its performance, as well, although I think I initially got a sort of Ligeti vibe instead of Bartok.
Hmmm...
One of my old time favorite composers is Prokofiev and I frequently find stuff that reminds me of his music in my music. This toccata is no exception really, but I do also hear Ligeti and Bartok in there as well (for different reasons each composer).
This is excellent. It's the sort of piece that restores my faith in contemporary composers. Powerful, even disturbing, but within a musical framework that is readily accessible while not being obviously derivative. My congratulations to all involved.
OSK: Thanks! Actually I do think that if one pays a little attention to what's going on, they might grab a wrong note here and there (if there were any).
dones des sylphes: many thanks. I'm very flattered (and I'm sure that Heather also feels the same way).
Side note: I can't believe what I wrote in the opening post. OF COURSE this is not a home recording. What I meant, was that she recoded it locally (in the studio she mentions). Sorry about that.
Even if I lost the competition (which is fine really, cause then I wouldn't be able to sell the score and publish it and get the recording, so, it's ok).
