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I'm in the early stages of putting together a grant application for our town's Cultural Council for a concert. My idea is to do a concert in which audience members can move around, dance, make art, or sit quietly and listen. It's sort of oriented toward kids, but all ages really.. I just expect it's mostly parents and kids who will be attracted by the idea of a concert where you don't have to sit still in a chair the whole time.
The theme of the concert is water (don't judge, it's required for the grant) and planned title is "A River of Music - concert for a creative audience." It's aimed primarily at people who don't often listen to classical, but I'd like it to be meaningful for classical fans too.
I am thinking about these pieces and would love ideas about others. I'd like to manage difficulty a bit because I need to be able to play these while people are walking around and dropping crayons and stuff. ie no Chopin Barcarolle or L'Isle Joyeuse.
Southam - Rivers (one of the fast ones) Coleridge Taylor - Deep River and Wade in the Water from 24 Negro Melodies Takemitsu - one of the Rain Tree Sketches, leaning toward no. 2 Debussy - The Snow is Dancing (Children's Corner) and The Sunken Cathedral (Preludes book 1) Faure - Barcarolles nos. 4, 6, and 12 Making my own transcription of either Vltava (Moldau) by Smetana or 1-2 of the Fountains of Rome by Respighi. Leaning toward Vltava.
Some Baroque or classical would be nice but having trouble coming up with ideas other than Water Music by Handel and I just don't really want to go there...
(I have given no attention to program order yet.)
Last edited by hreichgott; 05/18/1405:15 PM.
Heather Reichgott, piano
Working on: Mel (Mélanie) Bonis - Sevillana, La cathédrale blessée William Grant Still - Three Visions
How about this -- not sure exactly how hard it is, but maybe it's OK. (Seems like something that's not as hard as it sounds.)
Solo version of Saint-Saens "Aquarium" from Carnival of the Animals: (the piece has always felt to me like 'water personified,' or however we should put it)
I don't know what level of difficulty you don't want to get to, but there are many Barcarolles by various composers and plenty of water-based music by Debussy:
Reflets dans l'eau; Jardins sous la pluie; La cathédral engloutie; Ondine; Poissons d'or.
And of course Ravel's Ondine, Une barque sur l'ocean and Jeux d'eau .
Griffes's Barcarolle Op.6/1, Fountain of the Aqua Paola (Roman Sketches, Op.7).
Barcarolles by Rachmaninoff, Richard Rodney Bennett and David Diamond.
I think a lot of the pieces y'all are mentioning are at least as hard as the Chopin Barcarolle.
When you have water sprites, waterfalls, rain, oceans.....there're always going to be lots of notes .
Ok so here's the range. The Mendelssohn F# minor Venetian Boat Song I could play in my sleep and/or drunk. The Chopin Barcarolle and L'Isle Joyeuse I can sort of play through, haven't really studied yet, would need a lot of preparation to give a successful performance at this time, and a successful performance in a distracting environment is I feel unrealistic and more stress than I care to experience. Anything from Gaspard de la nuit is right out. Some of the other advanced Debussy and Ravel mentioned are pieces I've actually never tried to play and might see about reading through, but if it's equal or harder than those pieces I mentioned then it's too hard for this project.
Heather Reichgott, piano
Working on: Mel (Mélanie) Bonis - Sevillana, La cathédrale blessée William Grant Still - Three Visions
Some of the other advanced Debussy and Ravel mentioned are pieces I've actually never tried to play and might see about reading through, but if it's equal or harder than those pieces I mentioned then it's too hard for this project.
Jardins sous la pluie isn't as difficult as it sounds, and certainly sounds watery.
David Diamond's Barcarolle No.1 is easy.
How about traditional Chinese like Wencheng's Autumn Moon on a Calm Lake, or your own juicy bits from the Yellow River Concerto - my favourite section is the opening (bamboo flute solo and) cadenza and then the piano solo of the third movement, which I often play to delight my friends and foes ?
Toivo Kuula's Virta venhettä vie (Rivers gentle flow carry the boat) isn't too difficult.
You might be able to fake Debussy's Jardins sous la pluie, but it would be a shame - how about Singin' in the Rain?? September in the Rain, Rain, Don't Rain on my Parade...
Some of the other advanced Debussy and Ravel mentioned are pieces I've actually never tried to play and might see about reading through, but if it's equal or harder than those pieces I mentioned then it's too hard for this project.
Jardins sous la pluie isn't as difficult as it sounds, and certainly sounds watery.
David Diamond's Barcarolle No.1 is easy.
How about traditional Chinese like Wencheng's Autumn Moon on a Calm Lake, or your own juicy bits from the Yellow River Concerto - my favourite section is the opening (pipa solo and) cadenza and then the piano solo of the third movement, which I often play to delight my friends and foes ?
Toivo Kuula's Virta venhettä vie (Rivers gentle flow carry the boat) isn't too difficult.
Now we are getting into some interesting territory! thanks and I see I have things to look up and try. Auntie Lynn...... maybe for encores
Heather Reichgott, piano
Working on: Mel (Mélanie) Bonis - Sevillana, La cathédrale blessée William Grant Still - Three Visions
I like the Chinese suggestion. The main thing that occurs to me is Chopin Raindrop Prelude, which I haven't played but doesn't seem hard. I also like the Mendelssohn "Clouds"--slightly watery and also not virtuosic.
Also consider adding some songs with vocals: Rains Drops are Falling on my head Have you ever seen the rain? Its raining men Singing in the Rain Set Fire to the Rain The water is wide
For a general audience all the above would likely be better received, get the crowd more energized, than many other choices.
Want to get in deeper? Have some youth dance ensembles perform short dances to some pieces. Perhaps they can be audience participation type dances.
Griffes's Fountains is an *excellent* suggestion, but it *is* a bit tricky...how do you feel about Blumenfeld's etude sur la mer? Or his Op. 3 No. 1? I mean...I *know* they're etudes but you might already have something similar in your fingers...so...I don't know... Maybe Stanchinsky's seventh sketch from his Op. 1? Oh! Alkan's Op 31 No. 8; La Chanson De La Folle Au Bord...maybe a touch darker than you'd like though; *very* seaside though ^_^ Um...maybe some Einaudi? Le Onde, obviously, and La linea scura is very liquidy...um...the Yiruma's a good call too, if you want a wide range of accessibility...hmm...the seventh movement of Ligeti's Musica Ricercata? It always reminds me of rain hitting a New York city road and the reflections of the city above in its pooling surface...*maybe* Rameau? Um...I'm sure with the right touch that maybe the Rappel des Oiseaux or Le Poule might work; with frequent and overly liberal usage of rubato you might turn the rhythmic pecking into a tender dripping, but I'm not sure...anyway, um, I hope you find everything you're looking for *eventually* Xxx
Sometimes, we all just need to be shown a little kindness <3
Gillock's "Fountain in the Rain" would be an excellent choice. Not terribly difficult, great teaching literature, very enjoyable.
You might have a look at a lot of the advanced pedagogical literature, as there tends to be a lot of themed music. Heller's "Brook" (the first in Op. 45) also comes to mind.
"If we continually try to force a child to do what he is afraid to do, he will become more timid, and will use his brains and energy, not to explore the unknown, but to find ways to avoid the pressures we put on him." (John Holt)
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