compositions by concert pianists?

[Derek]

Hello everyone,

I've heard mentioned a few times that I think Evgeny Kissin and some other dude named Hamelin improvise and compose piano music. Are there any recordings available of the creations of these men?

[pianonut]

curious about the same question!  just bought murray perhiah's cd with mozart's k467.  he improvised a couple of cadenzas.  where could i find the music that he wrote (or is it only for his use?)   i wish there was a machine that one could print out these improvisations.  i need to analyze the form of a mozart composed cadenza with another pianists.  and, interested in your topic, too.

[jlh]

I'd seriously doubt you'll be able to find those cadenzas as sheet music.  Mozart left some compositions with designated sections for cadenzas, but only actually wrote SOME of them.  The rest is left up to the performer.  Even in places where Mozart actually wrote out the cadenzas, many times the performer will make his/her own to play.  If you find such music printed out, I'd be interested in seeing it, though!

[pianonut]

thank you for the reply jlh.  i am curious about this because i read an essay about how composers study the form of the composer's own cadenzas to make it as similar as possible.  beethoven composed one that is used.  murray perahia's are so good, they DO sound like mozart's own.  and, he used a cadenza written by rudolph serkin for the third movement of the k467.  i suppose if it is fairly impossible to obtain them over the internet, something written about the form of mozart cadenzas would be most helpful.

i found out, too, that there is a kochel number (in 600's) that is exclusively cadenzas (may be instrumental as well and piano) that can be modified (especially according to whatever key of piano concerto you are playing.  i am looking in to this.

as far as 20th century pianists, i like barry douglas. he's into a kind of classical/modern style of composition.  short electronic piano pieces.  you can find them on amazon.com (forget the title, but i can look it up).

[lenny]

marc-andre hamelin is a great piano composer

he plays quite a few of his works - including the mind-boggling etudes

his music is unique, very pianistically interesting, he has his own style

look out for his kaleidoskope cd - his recomposition of the la campanella is SUPERIOR in many ways to the original la campanellas

actually fazil say - another contemporary composer-pianist has composed a la campanella in the style of jazz legend art tatum - i have yet to hear this, but im sure it sounds amazing judging from his SUPERD paganini variations in jazz style

and actually hamelin aslo composed his own mozart cadenzas, and there ARE sheets, i own them 

[pianonut]

dear lenny,  thanks for the note about hamelin writing his own.  and, that you own the score.  can i just purchase it at a large music store or would i write to to obtain a copy?  you can charge me, if you want to send it to my e-mail
kosseys@comcast.net    and i'll mail you the money.  i have to buy the original mozart cadenzas (though i found some in a library book and if i can enlarge them enough to read them - might work). 

i'm going to listen to hamelin right now.

[lenny]

i bought the sheets of all of his etudes from his publisher

but i actually downloaded the cadenzas off an 'illegal' ftp

https://www.chopinfiles.com/modules.php?name=Forums

go to the sheetmusic section of this forum, you can pretty much ask for whatever you want

[Vivers]

Evgeny Kissin's "2 Inventions" are on his recording of the Prokofiev Concerto #3 by BMG classics. It's an interesting 2 pieces, but not overly exciting. Just very invention-like as the title suggests.

You can find more about the CD here: https://www.bmgclassics.com/albums/product.jsp?id=09026600512

[lenny]

yes thats quite good!

but marc-andre hamelin is IMO much better

hamelin's compositions are so good, that im actually going to learn some of them at some stage

[pianonut]

thank you, lenny, for your help on the mozart!

i listened tonight to an interesting session on npr: Robert Levin on Improvisation in Classical Music     npr.org/programs/specials/milestones/991124.motm.improv.html 
you can hear some of levin's own improvisation and how he considers improvising on the basis of what the composer's own musical language is. 

also, on mozartforum, i found some old messages that have one that asked my exact same question about murray perhiah's cadenzas.  perhaps she will e-mail me back with her results.

[lenny]

yes levin is a really great improviser and in inspiration to young classical pianists

id like to hear some improvisations in a more dramatic style though

[DarkWind]

Well, there is this man called Rzewski. He's pretty good from what I've heard.

[lenny]

an amazing composer!

hamelin plays him superbly

[pianonut]

just listening tonight, and found WIM Statius Muller - his Antillean Dances are neat.  I liked no. 16/ El Maestro Waltz.  Apparrently he has played them himself for concert, so I think he's a concert pianist.  He's listed several places, but i'm listening specifically to him on   wnyc.org/music/playlists/08212002.html

will listen tonight to Rzewski and Hamelin. 

[pianonut]

the prelude and fugue by hamelin is very beautiful in 21st century terms.  my teacher mentioned that we are returning to tonality.  is that evident in this piece?  what does he mean by tonality?  is it written in a key, or is there another form of reference to tonality that i am not thinking of?