Bach: Goldberg Variations

Goldberg Variations In G Major, Bwv 988: Aria Da Capo

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, pianophiles, and adventure seekers alike, prepare to embark on an auditory journey like no other. Today, the great pianist Archie Chen will perform Leopold Godowsky's mesmerizing Study no. 4 in A minor "Ignis Fatuus" – a composition so delightfully treacherous it will leave you questioning the very limits of human dexterity.

From the mind of Godowsky, the mad scientist of piano, comes a set of 53 arrangements that would make even Chopin's most nimble fingers tremble in fear. Schonberg once quipped that they are "the most impossibly difficult things ever written for the piano," and we dare say he wasn't far off the mark!

But what's all this about Ignis Fatuus, you ask? A term that conjures images of spectral lights and ghostly marshes, it refers to the deceptive luminous phenomena that have haunted folklore for centuries. These mischievous lights, known as Will o' the Wisps or Jack o' Lanterns, have been said to lead travelers astray, luring them to their untimely doom. Whether the spirits of the drowned or the souls of unbaptized infants, these eerie orbs have captured the imagination and terror of many a night wanderer.

And so, the stage is set for Archie Chen's spellbinding rendition of "Ignis Fatuus." Listen in awe as he transfers Chopin's already devilish right-hand etude into the left hand – a feat of pianistic prestidigitation that would leave even Houdini gasping for breath. As the haunting melody flits and flickers like the enigmatic lights it emulates, you may find yourself lost in its bewitching allure.

But fear not, dear listener! For Archie Chen is your guide through this labyrinth of notes, and he shall lead you safely back from the brink of pianistic pandemonium. So sit back, relax, and let the otherworldly beauty of Godowsky's Study no. 4 in A minor "Ignis Fatuus" wash over you like a mysterious, flickering flame.

And remember, don't follow the light... unless, of course, it's Archie Chen's dazzling fingers dancing across the keyboard!

My SoundCloud Channel: @archie-chen
Official Website: www.archiechen.com
Youtube DIPF www.youtube.com/c/PianofestivalIe
Youtube Archie www.youtube.com/c/ArchieChenPianist
Festival Website: www.pianofestival.ie
Teaching Website: www.pianoacademy.ie

Unedited live recording
Piano: Hamburg Steinway B
Piano Technician: Martin Walsh
Recording Engineer: Joey McDonald
Piano provided by Pianos Plus

Frederic Chopin Etude in A minor op. 10 no. 2+Leopold Godowsky Study no. 4 in A minor "Ignis Fatuus"

Tatiana Roitman (Piano) & Jeffrey Zehngut (Violin) performing Mozart on March 28th, 2013 at the University of Central Arkansas. 

Pianist Tatiana Roitman has appeared as a soloist and recitalist across North America and Europe. The BBC hailed her performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue as “formidable…both accurate and with rarely seen joy.” Her recording of the original, big band version of the work was released by Naxos Records in the album Jazz Nocturne - American Concertos of the Jazz Age. Roitman’s radio broadcasts include H.Villa-Lobos’ Mystic Sextet on NPR’s Performance Today, and B.Bartok’s Contrasts on New York’s classical music station, WQXR.

Jeffrey Zehngut joined the second violin section of The Cleveland Orchestra in August 2011. Mr. Zehngut previously served as associate principal second violin of the San Diego Symphony 2005-11 and as principal second of the Canton Symphony Orchestra 2002-05. He holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with William Preucil and Paul Kantor.

From UCA student newspaper, The Echo:

The College of Fine Arts and Communication and the music department sponsored performances by Jeffery Zehngut and Tatiana Roitman Mann. Zehngut and Mann performed at 7:30 p.m. March 28 at the Snow Fine Arts Recital Hall. Zehngut, violinist, and Roitman Mann, pianist, performed pieces for their audience. Presenting themselves on stage in all-black attire, a large black piano and a brown violin, Zehngut and Mann lit up the room with their distinctive sounds.

After the duo took the audience to different heights with the many pitches and paces of their instruments, they would leave the stage, gathering applause, and would return shortly to perform their next pieces. Their performances featured pieces by Dmitri Shostakovich, Johannes Brahms, W. A. Mozart, and Sergie Prokofiev. Sophomore Kendle Carter said she enjoyed the performance. “The violinist and pianist were very good at juxtaposing between slow and fast, playful and serious, melancholy and happy rhythms,” she said. “It created an exciting and beautiful work of art. I really enjoyed it because it kept me eager for their next pieces.”

The show’s program states that Tatiana’s interpretations of solo, concerto and chamber repertoire are characterized by their warmth and emotional intensity. Sophomore Nathaniel Trent said he was impressed by the act. “The performance went well,” he said. “Using not only the piano, but also the violin, they were able to portray happy and sad sounds. In every piece, I could relate a background story to go with it. Both instruments were able to come together to form a beautiful sound. I enjoyed it.”

The program provided background coverage on the two musicians. Zehngut, for the past few years, has gone on tour throughout the United States and Europe. He performs regularly as a soloist and as a chamber musician. He has positions with the Orchestra Nova and California Chamber Orchestras. Tatiana Roitman Mann has traveled across North America and Europe. She is currently an Artist-in-Residence at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

The crowd stood in ovation as the two musicians bowed after their performance, showing its appreciation.

Mozart Violin Sonata No. 21 in E minor, K.304, II. Tempo di minuetto

[Piano] Mozart Sonate n°14 K.457 1er mouvement

Glass being my favorite 20th Century composer, here's my rendition of "Metamorphosis"

Philip Glass - Metamorphosis

Recorded live in recital with Brent Funderburk, piano

brent recital live

Brahms Sonata for Violin and Piano Op. 108 (Un poco presto e con sentimento)

Bach's beautiful Air on A G-String, makes a great wedding processional. If you enjoy this track, check me out at Facebook.com/wmwilsonguitar . Thanks!

Air on a "G" String: Classical Guitar

Tamara Brooks conducts the New England Conservatory Chorus and Orchestra in a performance of Verdi's Requiem that The Boston Globe called "an unusually searching, indeed, sublime, spiritual experience." Recorded live March 5, 1992 in NEC's Jordan Hall, Boston.
For more information: http://necmusic.edu/tamara-brooks-1941-2012

Giuseppe Verdi - Messa di Requiem- Introit and Kyrie

Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Nicola Benedetti, violin
Margaret Hillis, director

Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op  63 (December 2018)

Grabación en vivo del concierto realizado en St. Giles in the fields, Londres, Reino Unido.
25 de Septiembre de 2009.

Rodrigo Gutiérrez (oboe), Tomasz Wesolowski (fagot) e International Baroque Players, Johannes Pramsholer (violín y dir.).

J. D. ZELENKA: Sinfonía Concertante en La menor - Adagio

Je Blague is my latest composition, a little crazy but in these quarantine days it was what I needed .... something different!

Mixed and Mastered By Roberto Riccò.

I hope you liked it :)
Link youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_Eck7wkugM&feature=youtu.be

Brahms Sonata for Violin and Piano Op. 108 (Un poco presto e con sentimento)

francesca.anderegg