Friday, October 07, 2005

Fantasia for Pianist and Magician

Forget the uptown ghetto for awhile and check the doings going on with pianist/composer Denis Levaillant's "Piano Circus" (not to be confused with the keyboard group "Piano Circus"). Here's a description of his piece for piano and magician:

"A pianist and a magician teaming up: the idea might appear formal, a way of staging a recital, enticing the public by promising it that, for lack of something to hear, it will have something to watch. Thankfully, Denis Levaillant's latest show dispels that fear. Piano Circus is a fable of the pianist, the pianist grappling with his repertoire. Grappling with his anxieties (damaging his fingers), with his fears (playing worse than with his feet)." The rest here. including audio excerpts and photos. Both "Piano Circus" and "Techno Space Piano: for piano, turntable, and electroni music" are especially worth giving a listen.

A nice collection of his works and him playing some Liszt (including Liszt's "Bagatelle san tonalite") is found here.

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