Ivry Gitlis SARASATE Romanza andaluza - S.Iwasaki, 1989

Chopin: Etude op25no12 "Ocean"

Keru Not Ever - Mezzanine
Label: Infinite Machine
CAT#: IM115
Format: Digital
Release Date: December 20th
Mastered by Fausto Mercier

Words by Keru Not Ever.

Mezzanine is an album of post-classical music. The twelve pieces that make it up are attempts to take the raw materials of instrumental music, dip them in mud, and turn them into shimmering confetti. Flutes, violins, clarinets, voices, cellos, piano, bass—these elements are all there, woven together through a mixture of hyper-sampling and recording, creating a chamber music without walls, without windows, suspended in stagnant air and multicolored dust. The conductor lies in bed, sheets pulled up to his shoulders.

Modeled on human breath, the pieces highlight the phenomena of loops and feedback, as though each time a theme is voiced, it must be repeated, insisted upon, until something else — a counter-melody — emerges to disrupt it. This is clear from the very first piece, Requiem Caesura, which functions like the tuning of a small orchestra, seemingly deaf to itself. Then come, to name just a few, the shimmering wind arrangements of Ghisolabella, the pulsing glissandi of the solo bass in Mezzanine, and, finally, the epilogue, Harmonies de la brûlure, a tableau of slow-moving harmonic ashes.

This album took a long time to create, the time it took to free myself from Tereza and The Wind Of? — old, forgotten music. Whether that time was worth it, that is, the doubt in which every melody is born, I can’t say. What composes is always next to myself, an extimacy. But it's a leap in time, an interval of a few years, a leap based on certain musical ruins, anonymous shreds twisted in the throes of a pandemic, in the love and joys, the sudden lights striking the blind spots of a body. These are companion pieces produced from the detritus of history. They hold out a cold hand to those who lend an ear.

Tracklist:
1. Requiem Caesura (Prologue)
2. Ghisolabella
3. Le poumon
4. La chambre-haute
5. Infans
6. L'oeil
7. Passion
8. Coeur de peur
9. Mezzanine
10. Le lac
11. Malebolge
12. Harmonies de la brûlure (Epilogue)



Keru Not Ever -  L'oeil (IM115)

Gole Goldon Orchestra  Romatic

Claire de Lune - Debussy

While Bach was the end-all-be-all of the Baroque period, Chopin was the golden boy of the Romantic era. Just like the early Romantics rejected the cool objectivity of their predecessors, Chopin's music was all about expressing the self in all its various forms. In exploring new harmonic realms and tonal relationships, he had to come up with new forms to contain his highly individual creative messages. This resulted in his "character pieces" or piano miniatures - the shortest of which weighs in at just 16 measly measures. His Nocturnes, 19 in all, are particularly soulful and expressive, making them some of Chopin's most intimate pieces. Interestingly, Chopin has been wrongly credited with creating the genre of the romantic night piece. In fact, that honor goes to John Field, who composed 17 Nocturnes, the first three of which appeared when Chopin was just four years old. But don't let that take away from Chopin's supreme talent in the Nocturne genre. In short, Chopin was a true master of the Nocturne and his contributions to the genre will never be forgotten. Or at least until the next guy comes along and claims he invented it.

The Dublin-born Field was a pianist of wide acclaim throughout Europe. He was a student of Muzio Clementi and even worked in his piano shop. Field composed a ton of music, including eight piano concertos and 17 Nocturnes, the first three of which appeared in 1814 - when Chopin was just four years old. Most authors of books on Chopin try to downplay the influence of the Irish composer on the Polish master. Field may have invented the genre, but it was Chopin who really took it to the next level. You could say that Chopin took the essentials of the Nocturne and intensified them a thousandfold - like adding extra hot sauce to your already spicy burrito.

Even if you believe that Field invented the genre of the Nocturne, there's no denying that Chopin was a supreme practitioner in the field (pun intended). His piano style fully exploited the singing quality of the instrument and created a whole world of sonorities. He also used the sustaining pedal to amplify the piece's distinctive sonority, and his use of rubato contributed to the poetic ambiance. On a musical level, Chopin introduced the element of chromaticism into his harmonic structure, which influenced virtually all composers who came after him. Chopin's 19 Nocturnes are a real mixed bag - some are dreamy, some are tear-jerkers, and some are just plain stoic. The E-major Nocturne on this program is the 18th and final one that Chopin published in his lifetime (he did leave us with one more, but that was published posthumously). It's a real crowd-pleaser - it's got a nice, flowing melody and some fancy filigree, all held together by some sturdy chordal accompaniment. But don't worry, things don't stay calm for long - the left hand starts moving like crazy, and we get a new melody to go along with it. Then things get really interesting - we've got some syncopated, agitated music that really raises the tension. But don't worry, the main theme comes back to calm things down. And just when you think it's over, Chopin pulls out a little two-measure epilogue that some people might find a little unnecessary. But hey, who are we to question the master?

This is a live recording from Auer Hall at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music of one of Frederic Chopin's last works, the Nocturne in E major, op. 62, no. 2. 
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Piano: New York Steinway & Sons Model D

Frederic Chopin Nocturne in E major, op. 62, no. 2

Brodmann PE-187 piano. AKG microphones. Pro Tools recording.

Chopin Nocturne Fm op.55 no.1

Different performances of the third movement of the third Brandenbourg Concerto

Trevor Pinnock (1979): Brandenburg Concerto No.3 - 3. Allegro

Johann Strauss Jr: Artist's Life Waltzes Op.136. Ernö Rapée 1921 on Duo-Art 6447.
Recorded from digitally simulated reconstructed original reproducing piano roll Dec 31, 2018 and the rec.  updated Jan 14, 2023 by VViljanen, using on its replay and recording a modelled year 1896 Bechstein grand, reconfigured, revoiced and setup by VV
ANY KIND OF COMMERCIAL USE PROHIBITED.
Photo: Ernö Rapee (1891 -1945)  was Hungarian-born American symphonic conductor in the first half of the 20th Century whose prolific career spanned both classical and popular music. His most famous tenure was as the head conductor of the Radio City Symphony Orchestra, the resident orchestra of the Radio City Music Hall, whose music was also heard by millions over the air.
A virtuoso pianist, Rapée is also remembered for popular songs that he wrote in the late 1920s as photoplay music for silent films. When not conducting live orchestras, he supervised film scores for sound pictures, compiling a substantial list of films on which he worked as composer, arranger or musical director.
Basic Info* of the original piano roll:
ARTIST'S LIFE (Kunstler Leben), Waltz, Op. 136
Roll Number: 6447, 6447
Composer/Creator: Strauss
Pianist: Rapee
Roll System: Duo-Art
Country: US
Date: June, 1921
Category: classical, dance, popular
Original Price: $2.50 (Price after 1922)
'Info source: The Piano Player Group web page (by permission)

Artist Life Waltzes op.136

Johann Strauss Jr: Artist's Life Waltzes Op.136. Ernö Rapée 1921 on Duo-Art 6447

This track is from the album Saint-Saens violin Concerto, Beethoven Triple Concerto and is available for purchase on CD Baby here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/allaa

Camille Saint-Saens, violin concerto N.3 in B minor op 61, 2nd m

Alla Aranovskaya