Fantasie for 3 Pianos (Video)

Hey there,
This is a fantasie for 3 pianos that I wrote years ago while at my undergrad...finally got a performance out of last year, and completely forgot that this was on youtube...my friend uploaded it.
Names are on the youtube video, but it's Mijail Tumenov on the top, Kelly Estes in the middle, and myself on the front piano.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUFs58yFbUQ

Anyway, it's a fun piece for 3 pianos, and I figured that it might be a fun thing to see, if you've never seen 3 pianos on stage at once. I hope you enjoy,
Rich

 

Hello Richard,

that is very enjoyable. Also, I've never seen 3 pianos on stage before nor know of any repertoire for 3 pianos.

The compositional style seems to be an interesting mix of people such as Bartok, Prokofiev and Hindemith plus a few others perhaps. Do you feel you have any specific influences ?

I felt the first section had scope for further development perhaps in a larger scale composition such as a sonata.

Have you composed a piano sonata yet ?

 

Nice piece of work, and immaculately executed as far as I can hear from the distant sound. A bit monotone though, the overall impression being one of a lot of repeated notes, dissonants, chord progressions and tritones, with no melody or structure that I could discern. Even a toccata (which this seems to be rather than a fantasy) needs some sort of theme and climax, does it not ? At some point it reminded be vaguely of Dukas' Sorcerer's Apprentice.
As for 3 pianos, it is a nice gig, and probably a great exercise. But IMO three's a crowd.

 

@techneut
This piece actually started out as a toccata for 1 piano...but then I added another piano...and then another one. The reason was just simply that I couldn't fit enough harmonies on the 2 pianos...I've thought about transcribing for 2, but then I've also thought of adding a few movements and making it a suite for 3 pianos.
It's very toccata-like, but formally, I see it more as a fantasie.

@MarkB
Prokofiev is definitely the composer that influences me the most.
Regarding a sonata, I am working on a multi-movement sonata now, actually...it'll be my dissertation, so it won't be finished for quite some time.

Thanks for listening,
Rich

 

Ok Rich, I viewed/listened to this too. I am tremendously sincere when I tell you that IMO three-piano works have as much chance of being performed as the latest castrati literature. Please consider doing the hard labor of crafting a piano-solo version. Even The Rite of Spring fits on 2-pianos by Stravinsky. Further, his Rite has been arranged for solo piano by Vladimir Leyetchkiss and Sam Raphling. The first of these I do not know but the second is absolutely fabulous IMO and is in my "Bucket list" of things I hope to do. Your music is worth performing more than once in your life for an academic recital. At LEAST make it into a 2-piano version. Just consider it an exercise. 8). I'm glad to hear you're working on a sonata (the form is NOT dead!). If you're taking requests, I would like a Toccata please.

Regards,
Eddy

 

Hahaha---I know what the chance of getting this performed---it took me five years to get it done
I wrote this specifically as an experimental piece---I never actually intended to get it performed.
In High School, I used to compose stuff with Sibelius, with the intention of "writing for video games" as a concept. Most of them were scored for wind band or small orchestra stuff...I never intended to get them performed either, but it was a way for me to learn how to use the software and compose on my own.

This piece was performed mainly because I saw the fact that we had 3 grand pianos on the same floor (go figure!), so I thought it would be fun to program it on a composer's forum concert...I'd like to do a studio recording of it---I think it would be more interesting that way...possibly a few more movements and do a studio recording, able to track things in the process. It would give it a more "phasing" aesthetic. If I could track it for different entrances to come out in different speakers in a surround sound environment, it would just sound like sheer cacophony---that is my ultimate goal

Regarding the Sonata form, I agree---it's not dead at all. As a matter of fact, if you're interested in new sonatas, Nathan Currier wrote a sonata called "From the Grotto", about the Secret Society that Mozart conceived (but never formed, to my knowledge). It's quite a ride---I would definitely recommend it.

And as for a toccata, that sounds fun. Give me time, and I can give it a go.

Thanks for listening,
Rich

 

Three's nothing! What about 7 pianos on stage? :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLd9L-dpkpA

 

Very cute!