Toronto 10-piano concert at NathanPhillipsSquare!! Aug 22

[jz_rach2]

Toronto Gala Monster Concert
200 fingers playing instantaneously!!!
when: Monday Aug 22 7:30 pm
where: Nathan Phillips Square (city hall)
who: performers- 20 young canadian pianists (1 of them is from a piano teacher at the music school where my piano teacher sometimes teaches at. he's about 30 so basically the rest of the performers are about the same age)
audience -everyone who is anyone
what: classical piano pieces, such as Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No.2!!!! and Bizet's Carmen
admission: free
more info at
https://www.toronto.com/profile/882065/

anyone interested in coming?? how about a meetup for pianostreet members??

[pianohopper]

multi-piano concerts are amazing.  I saw that "great performances" one on pbs withh Leif Ove Andsnes, Nicholas Angelich, Martha Argerich, Emanuel Ax, Claude Frank, Evgeny Kissin, Lang Lang, James Levine, Mikhail Pletnev, and Staffan Scheja, and thought it was great.  (https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php?topic=4228.msg39372)

I wish I could go -- so close, just across the lake in Rochester!  I could take the crap fast ferry.  Hmm, but such short notice!  3 days???  Probably won't be able to make it.      A 24-piano arrangement of Carmen!!!  I am jealous. 

[quantum]

how could I miss this one! cool. 

[abell88]

It was really cool -- literally as well as figuratively! But with two jackets I was fine...

The highlight for me was definitely Vincent Cheng's arrangement of Liszt's HR #2, and his brilliant conducting...very different from Ms. Toyich's conducting, although hers did work pretty well in terms of keeping the ensemble together.  I guess the disadvantage of having it at an outdoors venue is the necessity of miking it -- sounded a bit tinny. But loads of fun and some wonderful playing.

[quantum]

fun fun fun!!!! 

It was really cool -- literally as well as figuratively! But with two jackets I was fine...

The highlight for me was definitely Vincent Cheng's arrangement of Liszt's HR #2, and his brilliant conducting...very different from Ms. Toyich's conducting, although hers did work pretty well in terms of keeping the ensemble together. I guess the disadvantage of having it at an outdoors venue is the necessity of miking it -- sounded a bit tinny. But loads of fun and some wonderful playing.

I agree with you there.  Vincent's arrangement was quite well done, making good use of ensemble balance and keeping the solo passages transparent through out.   His conducting was also detailed with manny different shapes of ideas, and it looked like wanted the ensemble verry focused so he could give those spur of the moment nuance adjustments. 

I stood right behind the audio guy.  The sound was a bit tiny, but I guess with 10 pianos outdoors in the middle of the city you don't have much choice other than to close mic each one. 

I talked to one of the performers afterwards as well as Ms. Toyich, I may audition for it just for fun. 

pianohopper, there was some talk of making this thing annual so check back next year. 

Here is their website:
https://www.toyichinternationalprojects.ca/

[jz_rach2]

It was really cool -- literally as well as figuratively! But with two jackets I was fine...

The highlight for me was definitely Vincent Cheng's arrangement of Liszt's HR #2, and his brilliant conducting...very different from Ms. Toyich's conducting, although hers did work pretty well in terms of keeping the ensemble together.  I guess the disadvantage of having it at an outdoors venue is the necessity of miking it -- sounded a bit tinny. But loads of fun and some wonderful playing.

i ADORED Vincent's arrangement of HR2. i thought it was a wonderful arrrangement in many ways. it was a great idea of his to have done such an arrangement since the real HR2 is so technically demanding and difficult for 1 person to play. the concert was spectacular and it was my first time seeing a live performance of MANY pianos + MANY pianists. =)

[liszt1022]

I have a "monster concert" record that has a 20(?) piano recording of Saint-Saens' Danse Macabre and an abbreviated William Tell. Also a Gottschalk fantasy that is pretty sweet too.

[quantum]

Which Gottschalk fantasy?  was it "Night in the Tropics"?  If so, all the pieces you mentioned were played in the Toronto concert (although the William Tell was played in its entirity).