Now see, this is an example where the midi-thing does not impress. because you know it's a "virtual" pianist. Played by a person, it is really an impressive piece of music.
I don't think this piece "sits well" with the midi. It just sounds like electronic music.
Are you impressed by the fact that a human being is trying to appeare like a computer that produces electronical music, without any signs of human thinking, speech or breathing. If this should be the admirable thing with virtuosity, that human are trying to be the better machine, than I definitly have other in my opinion more musical interests in recordings being more interested in the tones you hear and not that much in the brute force an interpret needs to appeare a machine.
I know that this is kind of "the" discussion with early Ligeti works. In the 80th even he himself became more human-friendly and was more interested in mistakes of human and systems, what Bartok in his consequent inconsequency already had. So I am intrested in what humans do with machine not that much in what machines forces humans to do.
I hope it is not to provocating said. But it is the way I think.
Hi Bob,
It is no piano, it is not composed for a piano but for a harpsichord and it is already intended not to sound like an harpsichord, but like an electronic music right out of the machine (since they had not that much computers, when Ligeti wrote this piece) In so far to me it seem to be the ultimative interpretation.
best
fahl5
Edit: here is another example of "maschine" inspired music done "by myself" with my computer just to ad another example how a maschine might perhaps help to give the musical impression of a maschine. It is Arthur Honeggers Pacific 231 which I have done also in 2010. I hope you like it....