Igor to Please
(2015) 11 min.
two pianos, two toy pianos, electronics or piano, electronics
Premiere
for two piano, four-hands, two toy pianos, and live electronics (six players)
premiere 9/11/16, Bridges Hall of Music, Claremont, CA
for piano and live electronics (one player)
premiered 12/13/15 by Nadia Shpac
Performers
Nadia Shpachenko, Genevieve Feiwen Lee, toy piano. Vicki Ray, Aron Kallay, Thomas , Sarah Gibson, Thomas Kotcheff, piano.
Notes
When Nadia Shpachenko asked for a multi-piano piece inspired by a composer, I thought of Stravinsky. My lifelong admiration for Stravinsky's music and recent centenary celebrations of the Rite of Spring led to the idea of basing a piece entirely on the famous 7-note "Augurs" chord from the Rite.
In some parts of the piece, I tried to catch some of the mystery found in the Rite and, in others, to play with the mysterious catchiness of its rhythm. The stage full of pianos, the jangle of the toy pianos and the bell-like sounds in the electronic part might bring to mind "Les Noces." The generating Augurs chord in its original setting is only briefly hinted at, but I like to think that Igor would be pleased.
Igor to Please exists in several versions, for one, two, or six players, with electronic playback.
Publication
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