The Complete Piano Etudes by Philip Glass

Guest performance The Complete Piano Etudes by Philip Glass

Philip Glass: Koyaanisqatsi

Cinema atmosphere in the Elbphilharmonie Grand Hall: the Philip Glass Ensemble plays its eponymous founder’s soundtrack to the 1982 cult film »Koyaanisqatsi« live. Translated from the American Hopi language, the film title means »life out of balance« – the criticism of the often hectic life of modern man at the time is still relevant today. Famous fans like the producers Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather) and George Lucas (Star Wars) helped to popularise the visionary film. Its narrative devices were entirely new and ground-breaking back in 1982: devoid of any plot or dialogue, people rush around through the modern, machine-influenced world in fast forward – an apocalyptic vision of the collision of man and nature, technology and the environment. The soundtrack by the minimal music legend Philip Glass enhances the hypnotic effect of the film, resulting in an audio-visual synthesis of the arts. The faster the machines turn and the assembly lines run, the more stressed the people working on them become, the more Glass ramps up the tempo of his repetitive music patterns. Although the composer himself no longer performs, his ensemble carries on the spirit of his music, true to the original.

Chillout Kammerkonsert Philip Glass Johann Sebastian Bach

Musikere fra Oslo-filharmonien inviterer deg til en avslappet og uformell konsert på Trekanten. Vi spiller med et lite orkester som fremfører minimalistisk musikk. Pust og mindfulness er kjent for å bringe oss til dypere ro og tilstedeværelse. Ved å berolige kropp og sinn med disse øvelsne, blir vi også mer mottakelig for sanseinntrykk og verden rundt oss. Dette gjelder spesielt for opplevelsen av musikk. Kanskje hører vi nye instrumenter eller dimensjoner av en låt, eller opplever de sterke følelsene musikken henter frem i oss. 15 minutter før konserten gir Fredrik Fernando Austad deg enkle øvelser som hjelper oss å legge bort stress fra hverdagen og komme tettere på musikken. Austad er puste-trener og terapeut fra To gutter som mediterer.Det er mulig å kjøpe noe å drikke i baren, sette seg i en lenestol og ta en pause fra en hektisk hverdag. Velkommen til en time med ro og harmoni der musikken fører deg inn i nye landskap!

Duplex Piano – The Piano with Two Manuals

At the centre of the second Emanuel Moór concert series is the Duplex Piano – a grand piano with two manuals – developed by the composer Emanuel Moór in 1920. The two manuals enable special sound effects and with a pedal stroke all notes can be doubled. The result is an enormous sonority. But what is astonishing is that even filigree passages can be presented in a new and fascinatingly transparent way. In 2020, cellist David Stromberg discovered one of the few grand pianos of this type still playable. Together with the pianist Florian Uhlig, he had the grand piano extensively restored and has set himself the task of bringing the Duplex Piano back to the concert stage and making it possible to experience it via CD recordings.

Duplex Piano – The Piano with Two Manuals

Around 1920, the composer Emánuel Moór had the vision of building the piano of the future. His duplex piano with two manuals was born out of the spirit of the late Romantic period and offers even more tonal colours and a greater richness of sound. On an ordinary piano, one touch of the keys causes a hammer to strike the string. With the duplex piano, two hammers can be coupled: one keystroke then produces two tones simultaneously. This doubling of the tones leads to an unimagined fullness of sound in the forte, and to a magical brilliance of sound in the piano. The two manuals allow for differentiated layers of sound. The concerto is a homage to Johann Sebastian Bach. Emánuel Moór arranged one of Bach’s most famous organ works for the duplex piano: the Dorian Toccata and Fugue. Bach’s music had a profound influence on composers after him, including Schumann, Brahms and the Swiss-German composer Joachim Raff. And so the Romantics entwine themselves around Bach on this evening. Excellent soloists can be heard: Violinist Denis Goldfeld is an internationally renowned musician, violist Boris Faust teaches as a professor of viola at the Hamburg University of Music and Theatre. David Stromberg, who rediscovered the duplex piano and curates the Emánuel Moór concerts, will play the cello. Pianist Florian Uhlig is the master of the duplex piano. He was honoured with the Opus Klassik media prize and the German Record Prize for his complete recording of Robert Schumann’s piano works.

Duplex Piano – The Piano with Two Manuals

Around 1920, the composer Emánuel Moór had the vision of building the piano of the future. His duplex piano with two manuals was born out of the spirit of the late Romantic period and offers even more tonal colours and a greater richness of sound. On an ordinary piano, one touch of the keys causes a hammer to strike the string. With the duplex piano, two hammers can be coupled: one keystroke then produces two tones simultaneously. This doubling of the tones leads to an unimagined fullness of sound in the forte, and to a magical brilliance of sound in the piano. The two manuals allow for differentiated layers of sound. The work »Pictures at an Exhibition« was created by Modest Mussorgsky for solo piano – but it became world-famous in the orchestral arrangement by Maurice Ravel. In this concert, the work is performed in a new chamber music version with the duplex piano. Rachmaninov and Shostakovich also arranged Mussorgsky’s works and Borodin was a member of the »Group of Five« with Mussorgsky. Shostakovich wrote his Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor in 1944, reflecting the horrors of the Second World War and the loss of a friend. This concert commemorates the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death with this work. A work by Emánuel Moór also appears as a common thread in this duplex concert. Violinist Mirijam Contzen is internationally recognised as a soloist and Sony artist and teaches as a professor at the Berlin University of the Arts. Violist Hartmut Rohde is a member of the outstanding Mozart Piano Quartet. He is Professor of Viola at the Berlin University of the Arts. David Stromberg, who rediscovered the duplex piano, will play the cello. He endeavours to provide audiences with new, fascinating listening experiences, including as curator of concerts with the duplex piano. The pianist Florian Uhlig plays the duplex piano. He has been honoured with the »Opus Klassik« and »Deutscher Schallplattenpreis« media awards for his complete recording of Robert Schumann’s piano works. He performs worldwide as a soloist and chamber musician and teaches as a professor at the Lübeck University of Music.

Piano Recital

Grigory Sokolov, photo: Mary Slepkova / DG Grigory Sokolov has worked hard to secure privileges that few contemporary musicians can boast. He gives practically no interviews, rarely visits the recording studio, has performed solo for a number of years and compiles his own recital programmes, without particularly hurrying to announce them. He first sat at a piano at the age of five, almost 70 years ago. Ever since he has been reluctant to part with his beloved instrument, especially during his lengthy performances, giving endless encores (at times as long as a separate recital). Paradoxically, he is a rare example of an artist who communicates with the outside world almost exclusively through his performances, which force reviewers into extraordinary, at times quite humorous, verbal gymnastics in search of the right concepts to describe the artistry of his playing and the aura he creates around him. A voluminous anthology of surprising metaphors might be compiled from the texts on Sokolov’s playing, which may suggest that it is impossible to capture the personality of this remarkable pianist, let alone his interpretations, in words. Bartłomiej Gembicki

Piano Recital

András Schiff, photo: Nadia F Romanini The repertoire will be announced by the artist on the stage.

Piano//Duo EnsariSchuch

He loves her musical spontaneity and she appreciates his flair for special programmes: The Piano//Duo EnsariSchuch! Making music together as a piano duo requires not only musical skills, but also almost »blind« trust in each other. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that Gülru Ensari and Herbert Schuch also have a private connection: Both have been a married couple for nine years and have a daughter together. The two are an ideal constellation because they combine the advantages of different worlds: Herbert’s childhood in Romania, as well as Gülru’s Turkish roots – and can therefore come up with a wide range of musical colours. In their programme »Eternity«, the two shed light on the theme of eternity in music and seek answers to many questions: How does infinity explain itself? Which pieces make you forget space and time? Is redemption or nothingness waiting behind death? They approach these essential questions through the works of Brahms, Schubert, Ravel and Beethoven.

Steinway Piano Competition

Finding and promoting exceptional talent is Steinway & Sons’ passion. The Steinway Piano Competition, offers children and young people under the age of 17 a platform that enjoys an international reputation and opens many doors for young pianists since 1937. A record number of 220 young talents has been reached this year – they have all registered for the Steinway Piano Playing Competition and will present their programmes in a pre-selection at Steinway locations throughout Germany. After viewing the video recordings made there, a jury will decide which participants will be invited to the final at the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg. There, the most promising young pianists will perform in the Great Hall in front of the jury, who will then award the prizes, which will be presented on stage at the grand finale.