Takemitsu's Rain Tree Sketch II In Memoriam Olivier Messiaen was composed in 1992. It seems to be his best and most popular piano work.
I love the meditative and steamy atmosphere of this piece.

Takemitsu - Rain Tree Sketch II (1992) (3:59)

Hi Chris,

I had a listen to this Rain Tree Sketch II recording. I haven't heard it before and I agree with your estimation, it sounds quite meditative and a heavy and hot atmosphere. I was listening to Pierrot Lunaire by Schoenberg this morning for a listening quiz and the wild melodies in it I was reminded of when I heard this. I can't think of anything to criticize, your phrasing sounded nice.

~Riley

This could be 'rain' music and also 'space' music. Mostly dissonances but it's not too 'in your face' so I kinda like it. Sounds like you played it nicely and the high notes on your piano sound good here.

Thanks Riley and Monica.
This is a good piece to get used to contemporary music. Full of dissonance, but beautifully so. There's one bar here which did not really come off as it should, being quite awkward, so maybe I will need to have another dig at this one.

Hi Chris,

This is a first hearing for me, but I believe this is a beautiful and very evocative composition. I believe that you play it most effectively and convincingly. These days it's scary that I no longer have to "stretch my ears" to listen to modern music.

David

Hi Chris,
that´s a piece with an interesting and contemplative harmonic atmosphere. I couldn´t find the score of it so I can not judge how you play it, but I can imagine, that most of it will be right here.
It sounds expressively and subtle played to me. Continue with playing contemporary music! I like that.

Thanks David and Andreas for the feedback.


Ear stretching is such a gradual process - almost imperceptible if you tread carefully through the repertoire. I well remember a time that I found Bartok, Prokofiev and Stravinsky much too modern to listen to. As for Takemitsu, he was mostly self-taught and though he was much influenced by Debussy and Messiaen he was his own man and did not strive to be modern for the sake of it.


Yes, most of it is right here Except for one very awkward bar where I dropped some notes (but I've heard that happen in other performances too).
Sure, I'll keep eyes and ears open for more contemporary music (as long as it sounds nice and is not hellishly difficult).

Techneut wrote:


You don´t say!

This is beautiful! Thank you

Thank you too ! I find great beauty and dignity in Takemitsu's music.

Brilliant interpretation of Takemitsu's late life Rain Tree Sketch (last piece he composed right?). You catch the mode very good and that is what this piece really need to come out really well.

Thanks, I'm real proud of this one and that does not happen often. It's not easy to bring off all these pastel shades in different soft dynamics.

Thanks for sharing this. I don't usually make the effort to listen to modern music but really enjoyed your playing of this elegant piece.

An elegant piece it certainly is, but also one with great depths of beauty and expression. An eye-opener (ear-opener?) for those who think contemporary music can't be beautiful, and that nothing nice was written since Rachmaninov.

Chis,
I agree with your opinion of the work and I salute your fine performance of it. I have not heard this work, or don't remember it. It is a beautiful piece in the style of -- for lack of a better term -- oriental impressionism. In harmonic language it seems a mix of pentatonic and atonal. Very little whole-tone that I could detect. Thanks for the offering!
Eddy