Dok (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} cyberinsekt) wrote,@ 2008-03-07 14:28:00 |
|
Lubomyr Melnyk - Wave-Lox 7
Yesterday I wrote about Conlon Nancarrow, and how he wrote music that was too fast for a human being to play. That was a deliberate setup. Today, I'm here to tell you about the world's fastest pianist, Lubomyr Melnyk.
Melnyk is Ukrainian, and composes what he describes as 'continuous music'. It has something of the Charlemagne Palestine about it, with perhaps a little Steve Reich. He sits at the piano, holds down the sustain pedal, and lets the streams of notes fly. It's like a minimalist explosion of icicle notes dancing all around you.
That this music is played by just one man is nothing less than staggering. Through years of dedication, practice and determination, he is able to reach speeds of over 19 notes per second, per hand, and can sustain 13 notes per second per hand over an hour. Despite that, what might be expected to be a dense fog of sound is rather the lightest of mists. Here is final track from his CD Wave-Lox. Parts 1-6 are a continuous piece, but the last part is more of a standalone work, with added violin. If you thought you knew minimalism, prepare to be astounded as you enter the fascinating meditative world of Lubomyr Melnyk.
Lubomyr Melnyk - Wave-Lox 7
Yesterday I wrote about Conlon Nancarrow, and how he wrote music that was too fast for a human being to play. That was a deliberate setup. Today, I'm here to tell you about the world's fastest pianist, Lubomyr Melnyk.
Melnyk is Ukrainian, and composes what he describes as 'continuous music'. It has something of the Charlemagne Palestine about it, with perhaps a little Steve Reich. He sits at the piano, holds down the sustain pedal, and lets the streams of notes fly. It's like a minimalist explosion of icicle notes dancing all around you.
That this music is played by just one man is nothing less than staggering. Through years of dedication, practice and determination, he is able to reach speeds of over 19 notes per second, per hand, and can sustain 13 notes per second per hand over an hour. Despite that, what might be expected to be a dense fog of sound is rather the lightest of mists. Here is final track from his CD Wave-Lox. Parts 1-6 are a continuous piece, but the last part is more of a standalone work, with added violin. If you thought you knew minimalism, prepare to be astounded as you enter the fascinating meditative world of Lubomyr Melnyk.
Lubomyr Melnyk - Wave-Lox 7
