Recordings of a series of performances pieces that used multiple pianos. The event took place in the piano showroom Markson Pianos, one of the most well-known piano suppliers in the UK, and was initiated by David Cunningham. Seven composers and artists each composed a work for multiple pianos to be performed by a large ensemble of pianists in the piano shop over the course of the evening of November 4th, 2010.
A musical vocabulary based around multiples of the same instrument is unusual, especially in the case of the piano--an instrument which is central within the Western classical music tradition. This event explores both within and without that tradition, connecting with other experiences--systems theory, group rhythmic structures (such as the musics of Ghana and Indonesia), indeterminacy, bell ringing--music that has a different history of organization, structure and experiment. A musical hybrid, something that wouldn't normally happen.
Artists:
David Cunningham
Leo Chadburn
Rie Nakajima
Daniel Jackson
Cerith Wyn Evans
Mieko Shimizu
Genevieve Murphy
Special thanks to Stephanie Romig who organised this event as part of the centenary of Markson Pianos, to Simon Markson, Jean-Raphael Dedieu, Alberto Sanchez Nué, Peter Scott and the video crew and in particular all the pianists and composers who contributed significant time and effort to this project. This event was produced by The Island.
