Retro Electro

Variation 18 of Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini composed in 1934. Rachmaninoff said of this piece: "This one, is for my agent." as he sensed it would become a commercial hit. It's composed by playing upside down the original melody from Paganini. The original is like a piano concerto (solo piano vs orchestra) and I'm trying to do it on a single keyboard with sampled sounds.

The theme was used in the movie Somewhere in Time in 1980 starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour.

The instrument is a Clavia Nord Stage 2 using a sampled Bösendorfer grand piano and sampled orchestra strings.

Transcription for solo piano by Hermene W. Eichhorn. Re-uploaded with new take on Jan 26, 2014.

Live video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgj3lVcaGT4

Video

Somewhere In Time: Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini, Variation 18

This is a studio recording from 2012 for the BBC film 'Loving Miss Hatto'. A biopic penned by the British comedian Victoria Wood about pianist Joyce Hatto.

The character piece is like the art song's fun-loving cousin who always shows up to the party with a bottle of emotional perfume. It's perfect for those intimate gatherings or solo rendezvous with your piano. Thanks to the piano's rise to fame in the 1800s, character pieces were popping up everywhere, and composers were flaunting their creations at the hottest recital events of the time. Basically, character pieces were the 19th century's version of a hot new single. If you thought Franz Liszt's music was boring, think again! This guy was all about giving his character pieces creative and whimsical titles, like "Sposalizio" and "Vallée d'Obermann". But don't worry, he didn't forget about those of us who like our music titles to be a little more straightforward - he also composed plenty of works with no-nonsense names like "Album Leaves" and "Klavierstücke". With his "Consolations" (a.k.a. "Six Poetic Thoughts"), Liszt took a page out of Chopin's book and delved into the world of nocturnes. And let me tell you, the third Consolation in D-flat major is pure Chopin - even the key is pianist-friendly, unlike those pesky "easy" keys like C major. Looks like Liszt knew a thing or two about pleasing his audience! If you're a Chopin fan, you're gonna love Liszt's "Consolation No. 3"! I mean, talk about a tribute - this piece is basically a carbon copy of Chopin's Opus 27, no. 1. And while it might not have the same flashy piano solos that Liszt is known for, it more than makes up for it with its dreamy, slow-moving melodies. Plus, it's in the same key as Chopin's original, so you know it's gotta be good.

Despite the unusual title, the Consolations were inspired by both poetry and religious contemplation, just like Harmonies Poétiques et Religieuses. Some say the title comes from an 1830 poetry collection by Sainte-Beuve, while others think it's based on a poem by Lamartine called A Tear (or Consolation). Either way, it seems like Liszt was in a pretty contemplative mood when he wrote these pieces. But don't worry, Liszt didn't completely forget his roots - he snuck in a little Hungarian folk song as the primary theme, which he later used in his "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 1". So even though this piece might not match the wild, hair-flailing image we have of Liszt, it's still got a little bit of that old-school flavor. Liszt's "Consolation No. 3" wasn't just a musical masterpiece - it was also a major turning point in the composer's life. And let me tell you, Liszt's early life was a doozy - it was basically one big, crazy party. But don't take my word for it, just ask his first mistress (and mother of his three children) Marie d'Agoult, who wrote all about it under the pen name Daniel Stern. And if you're feeling really adventurous, you can even watch the 1975 film "Lisztomania" for all the juicy details. Talk about living the dream! Liszt's life was like something out of a Hollywood movie - seriously, this guy was breaking class barriers and performing like a superstar. But as he got older, he decided to trade in the limelight for a little bit of privacy. He started conducting orchestras and composing more, and even started teaching aspiring pianists from around the world. I guess you could say he was the original piano man!

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Official Website: http://www.archiechen.com
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Festival Website: http://www.pianofestival.ie
Teaching Website: http://www.pianoacademy.ie

Piano: Yamaha C7
Piano Technician: Martin Walsh
Recorded at Cauldron Studios, Dublin
Recording Engineers: Ciarán Byrne & Michael Manning
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Franz Liszt Consolation no. 3 in D flat Major, S. 172

A recording of J.S. Bach's 'Preludie in C' played by Neil Balfour.

When J.S. Bach began working on his epic Well-Tempered Clavier in 1722, chances are he wasn't thinking that it would become one of the defining musical texts in keyboard history. But, somehow, it has - and the Prelude No. 1 in C Major is where it all starts.

The Well-Tempered Clavier (there are two volumes of it, each containing a prelude and a fugue in each musical key) kicks off in C Major, the most 'natural' musical key, so he obviously made sure that the first entry is a good one. Few pieces of keyboard music sound so delicate and fragile, but there's a very Bach-ian stability to it as well. 

It's a strikingly simple piece to begin with, gently phasing through different chords and registers, but it's one of those pieces that demands to be tinkered with. Consequently, you'll hear plenty of different interpretations of this much-loved work.

Prelude No. 1 In C Major | Bach

My take on Chopin's saddest little prelude.  Two and a half minutes of ache.


Chopin Prelude No. 4 In E Minor, Op. 28

The final movement of Beethoven's Waldstein sonata - the French call it the Dawn Sonata (they're romantic like that) as the opening to this movement symbolises the sun coming up together with all the awesome potential a new day holds. Or something like that.
Live performance.

Beethoven Sonata in C Major, Op. 53  'Waldstein'   III. Rondo

Antonio Vivaldi "La Stravaganza" Concerto No.2 RV.279

Samuel Barber's Adagio For Strings. This is from 1936, earlier than the 60's but so much more modern, isn't it? The ultimate ambient trance-ish piece... Tried to make it sound like metallic yet organic strings, mixing Clavia's string orchestra samples with synthesizers.

Live video: http://youtu.be/NdXiKehJCrI

If this is too ambient for you (sometimes it is for me), Tiësto used the first notes ad nauseam in an upbeat trance track.

Barber - Adagio For Strings

1ère Gymnopédie.

Live video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZd4BYOzXBo

Lent et douloureux.
Slow and sorrowful.

"Oblique et coupant l'ombre un torrent éclatant; Ruisselait en flots d'or sur la dalle polie; Où les atomes d'ambre au feu se miroitant; Mêlaient leur sarabande à la gymnopédie."

"Slanting and shadow-cutting a flickering eddy
Trickled in gusts of gold to the shiny flagstone
Where the atoms of amber in the fire mirroring themselves
Mingled their sarabande to the gymnopaedia"

- Contamine de Latour

The instrument is a Clavia Nord Stage 2 using a sampled Yamaha C7 with a generous amount of reverb and phaser, and a thin layer of strings.

Erik Satie - Gymnopédie No. 1 [phaser]

Prelude No. 1 in C major, BWV 846, from The Well-Tempered Clavier, composed by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Live video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRAJrOFLD2Q

Bach did these pieces for music students in 1722, and it seems that all composers and musicians from then on became his students.

The instrument is a Clavia Nord Stage 2, using a sampled short stringed Italian harpsichord, along with sampled Eminent 310 strings with wah and phaser effects.

J.S. Bach - Prelude No. 1 in C major

Piano Concerto No. 23 K. 488, 2nd movement: Andante/Adagio in F-sharp minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1786).

The instrument is a Clavia Nord Piano 3 using a sampled extra soft Bösendorfer 130 upright piano, with effects, and a sampled Willow flute.

Live video: https://youtu.be/eL8_ZJcO27M

#pianoday

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Adagio from Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 [solo fragments]

Live video: https://youtu.be/_Yyzo9RDf7o

“The crowd intimidates me, its breath suffocates me. I feel paralyzed by its curious look, and the unknown faces make me dumb.” – Chopin

The instrument is a Nord Piano 3, using a sampled extra soft Bösendorfer 130 upright piano with effects and angelic synthesizer voices.

Chopin - Suffocation (Prelude No. 4 in E minor, Op. 28)

Markus Gottschlich- piano
https://www.markusgottschlich.com/store/of-places-between-album

Schubert Impromptu Op.90 No.3

Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon 1959-1965 CD025

Johannes Brahms - Symphonie Nr. 3 F-dur Op. 90 III. Poco allegretto - Herbert Von Karajan

Concert étude No. 3: Un sospiro, for piano in D flat major (Franz Liszt)

J. S. Bach - "Fugue" from Toccata & Fugue in D Minor - BWV 565

https://www.aleksandramikulska.com​

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Chopin: Balladen

Fantaisie-Impromtu in C Sharp Minor, Op. 66

Chopin - Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor op. 66

atmospheric piano + electronica

playing Barber, Beethoven, Chopin, Craig Armstrong, David Arnold & Michael Price, Ennio Morricone, Erik Satie, Handel, Harry Gregson-Williams & John Powell, John Ottman, John Williams, J.S. Bach, Kanye West, Leonard Cohen, Ludovico Einaudi, Max Richter, Michael Nyman, Michel Polnareff, Mike Oldfield, Mozart, Nino Rota, Philip Glass, Pink Floyd, Ravel, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Serge Gainsbourg, Vangelis, Vladimir Cosma, Yann Tiersen, Yiruma

J.S. Bach - Prelude No. 1 in C major

Piano in a Living Room

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