Back to the 2020 Portland Piano Virtual Extravaganza page
Calling all Portland pianists and piano-lovers!
We want YOU to get involved.
Pianists of all ages and abilities: Join us in a performance of Gerd Kühr’s cosmic Corona Meditation, a work for any number of pianists composed in response to the pandemic.
The artistic concept (freely adapted from Gerd Kühr):
Reflection, expansion, universe: We are experiencing a time of large-scale societal reflection, and the piece explores the reverberations of this unique historic moment. The music’s calm, steady pulse, not coordinated by a metronome, ensures that the simultaneous playing of numerous pianos, in principle unlimited in number, cannot be carried out with precision. This blurring, along with the gradual tonal accumulation, creates an effect of expansion similar to the expansion of the cosmos.
Making music at home in a virtual world: The Corona crisis is a time for making music at home. The format of this piece and its suitability for all abilities takes this into account. Moreover, difference in timing, piano tuning and sound quality are explicitly desired effects. In this way, the work in an accurate reflection of the currently flourishing streaming culture.
Corona Meditation Submission Information
Learn the piece. The music is highly adaptable to pianists of all abilities. The composer introduces a new “note” at each rehearsal letter (every four bars), but pianists only need play as much as is comfortable. Consider playing until the material becomes too complex, then “turn back” and repeat the easier material. For example:
Beginner pianists might consider repeating bars 2-5 or 2-9 for approximately 5 minutes.
Intermediate pianists might perform bars 1 to 29, then “turn back,” returning at will to rehearsal letters in reverse order (F, E, D, C, B, and A).
Set up your camera and perform the piece!
Remember to perform the piece slowly, with quarter notes at approximately 37 beats per minute.
“Sempre pianissimo”
Aim for performances of four to eight minutes.
There is no right or wrong. You can’t mess it up!
Upload your video to YouTube and send the link to maryellen@portlandpiano.org by July 15, 2020.
Greg & Liz will compile the first 50 submissions into a music video.
During the August 15, 2020 Portland Piano Virtual Extravaganza event, Greg & Liz will perform the work live, accompanying the music video created with your submissions.
If you miss the deadline or the Duo receives too many submissions, you can still participate! Play the piece in your own home on August 15 as a live accompaniment to the virtual performance.