Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Suggestions for programme of an experimental charity recital

Mind if I pick your brain for a moment?

I have a group of amateur musician friends (2 pianists and 4 singers, Soprano Alto Tenor Bass each) and we are organizing an experimental charity recital.

we are planning the second half of the concert where there be a projector showing scenes of war and our music will form the accompaniment for the video.

Is there any music on top of your head that would make good accompaniment for the video?

We have some piano music in mind (mostly Chopin nocturnes) but can hardly think of any choral/ vocal music (doesn't need to have lyrics).

I know this is pianoworld not vocalworld, but i'm sure you guys are equally resourceful in the vocal world. Of course piano suggestions are also welcome.

Thanks a lot!

I know that it's a stretch really, but at some point I made some music for an antiwar game, which had this track in it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x83jDko8fHc

This is definitely as antiwar as it can get. Of course it's also for a string orchestra and trumpet.

HOWEVER, I also made a 4 hands version (which can probably work with the vocalists singing the melody). which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XTroQjjDR8 (the 4 hands version).

Maybe it can be of use?

Various movements from Orff's Carmina Burana, including the opening movement, although the movement is used so much for stuff like this as well as all else that maybe you'd want to avoid it, but maybe that's a plus, because it'll be familiar to a lot of the people.

Various movements from Bach's Passions, like "Kreuzige ihn" from the St. John.

Any number of Schubert songs, for example Erlkonig, which you'd need to arrange for this combo but that wouldn't be hard.

Some movements from Brahms' A German Requiem, for example Herr, lehre doch mich, and Der Tod ist verschlungen.

And, since it's not like any one religion has a monopoly on this kind of thing, Hatikvah, the national anthem of Israel.

'Requiem for Peace'
http://www.larrynickel.com/CanuckComposer/Requiem.html

The first words that come to mind when thinking of someone showing a video of war scenes along with any Chopin noctune are "despicable" and "disgusting". I pity anyone being forced to make this sort of psychological association such as you're planning. It almost feels like the final scenes of Clockwork Orange. At best you're being terribly naive and shortchanging the music.

This is the obvious one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8EwBTQhl3Y

There is an arrangement by the composer for 2 pianos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDouhFMMeOs

If you need voices:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_Du9TXBVlM ....of which this is the most famous movement:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKZPgGbUuX0

Thank you so much for all the kind comments and contributions! these are all wonderful ideas that I'm sure I'll be able to use for the recital! A lot of these pieces are already set to war theme videos on YouTube, which give me a better idea how ithe music sounds like with the visual.

Big thanks again everyone and please do keep them coming if u come across anything as the more ideas the better when we compile the video.

Dear Nikolas - it's a great piece you have composed! Will discuss with my friends and be in touch with you to see how we could get a copy of the music. As it's for charity we don't have much of a budget but will definitely let you know if we decide to use it. All the best with your compositions!

Just remembered this - and it's for keyboard too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ14UFsKMKA

BTW, 'battell" = battle. They didn't know how to fpell in those olde days .....

toyboy +1. charity concert, playing chopin nocturnes and chorales while showing war scenes? I hope you at least announce the "war scenes" part clearly.