piano improvisation on Picasso's "Guernica"

[kalospiano]

My last painting-inspired piano improv. Probably the most imprecise but also one of the most felt, and somehow I think that the technical imprecisions actually go quite well with the cubist/surrealist style of the painting. I use clusters, low octaves and rapidly repeated, percussive chords to evoke the atmosphere of chaos and terror, the explosions and the crying of people and animals running everywhere. Descending chromatic scales are meant to imitate the falling bombs. I also inserted a couple of quieter moments lingering on the whole-tone scale to let the listener take a break from the constant movement but also to depict the sensation of utter loss and bewilderment that I can only imagine must have been felt at the time by the victims of the bombings. The ending is something that I'd probably slightly change on a second attempt, making it more sudden and unexpected, but still I'm quite satisfied with the final result.

[ted]

And so you should be satisfied with this splendidly evocative response. There is nothing lacking in your technique either, which is fully up to a very difficult piece of impressionism. Personally, I have found second attempts usually fall short of expectation and I therefore avoid them but that might just be my sloppy approach to music in general.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

This is quite an imaginative improvisation! Definitely one to remember.

[kalospiano]

Thank you both Ted and Ronde

[volcanoadam]

That's very well done! Love it.