An Unfortunate Dilemma

[andhow04]

Hello Peopels of Piano Forum.  I recently met a nice fellow who writes a lot of muisic for the piano. He seemed to like my piano playing and gave me a piece of his to learn.  Then he organized paid concerts for me on which to play that piece (among other standard repertoire).  Well the problem is the piece is Not Possible by Any Stretch of the Imagination.  I dont think it is humanly possible.
He gave me a CD of a famous pianist playing it (in excerpted form) but this pianist onyl followed the score for about a page, maybe less. After that it seems all improv'ed.  NOW my question is this.
I went thru the score and found a lot of it is theoretically pianistically possible, but for the extreme tempo markings. *  I told this composer on the phone I couldnt play the damn piece and he insisted.  I can in fact play it slowly, as I am sure anyone could, but that not what he wants. Do you think he wants me to just play whatever, as long as it sounds like what it looks like ?!?!  Just accept that it is impossible to ask him that outright.   I mean thats what happens on the recording, which he personaly gave to me. Or should I just give up the concerts?  Or should I try and play it for him slowly and face disaster?

* Here is a typical page from the score, which by the way is 40 pages long:
https://www.geocities.com/andhow0404/index
U have to download the pdf file. The top line is the right hand, and is meant to be played 2 octaves higher.  The lower two are the left hand.  The tempo is "Presto possibile"

What would you do?

[BoliverAllmon]

take his money and run

[pianohopper]

Modern music.  Obscure composer.  Who will know the difference if you're hitting a bazillion wrong notes except the composer? In the end, they'll think it's great art anyway, just like the all-white painting. 

If he doesn't like it, then maybe he should make sure the performer can play it before setting up concerts.

Or better yet -- play it himself!  Who's heard of a composer who can't play his own works?  Rachmaninov played his own stuff, so did Liszt, Mozart, Chopin, BAch, BEethoven --- everybody! 

[lostinidlewonder]

It sounds like he doesn't care how his music is played or his reputation as a composer for that sake. I don't understand why he would organise for you to play in a concert, PAY you for it and even say once you say you cannot play it, oh please do it please. I would think he could play it himself and I would think he doesn't have money just to give away to people who can only just play the music.

The page you offered when played fast sounds all jumbled up and the sound is obscure, so really no one will know the difference if you hit wrong notes or neglect notes. Simplify what slow you down would be my advice.

[perfect_pitch]

Sadly enough, music like that turns me off... I would personally say to the guy - Thanks, but no thanks. It's just (sort of a bullshittish piece). Any chance you have a copy of the mp3 to let us hear the impossibilities of the piece???

Where do you download the full score....?

[andhow04]

Sadly enough, music like that turns me off... I would personally say to the guy - Thanks, but no thanks. It's just (sort of a bullshittish piece). Any chance you have a copy of the mp3 to let us hear the impossibilities of the piece???

Where do you download the full score....?

I probably should have done that at the time (5 m months ago) but was too excited and agreed to play it withotut even looking at it! Oops. Let this be a lesson to us all.    
I have the CD of the performance but i dunno how to convert it to mp3, and as for the score, it cant be downloaded or bought, it was given to me personally and is probably one of 3 or 4 existing copies. Maybe i can put up a few more pages to show some other kinds of music in it, its pretty interesting. it alternates betweeen extreme slow and extreme fast, you saw the extreme fast, but the extreme slow is actually... beautiful! i'll keep u posted

[andhow04]

Modern music.  Obscure composer.  Who will know the difference if you're hitting a bazillion wrong notes except the composer? In the end, they'll think it's great art anyway, just like the all-white painting. 

If he doesn't like it, then maybe he should make sure the performer can play it before setting up concerts.

Or better yet -- play it himself!  Who's heard of a composer who can't play his own works?  Rachmaninov played his own stuff, so did Liszt, Mozart, Chopin, BAch, BEethoven --- everybody! 

i wonder if the composer would even know if i was hitting wrong notes.  i was talking to a friend who is a clarinettist and has played lots of contemporary music at summer festivals like norfolk CT. (or norwalk? i cant remember). he said that lots of it was unplayable for his instrument, and sometimes even the clarinet solos. at thos times he apparently just played whatever in the rhthm, something chromatic and probably fairly random. according to him, nobody, the conductor, or the composer who was tHeRe At ThE ReHeArSaL!!!! said anything.  eiotehr its because they didnt know, or because maybe the actuall aesthetic is to play whatever /!??! i mean would anybody write the notes, with the intention of those notes not actually being played.