Aspen Music Festival commission + conducting debut
Last year the Aspen Music Festival commissioned me to compose something a little… unusual: a piece for 8 pianos and 32 hands (yes, that’s 16 pianists in total).
I initially balked at the idea. Having composed several works for five pianos, I was already well aware of the inherent difficulties. The piano’s sharp, percussive attack leaves little room for error in synchronization. Achieving precision with two pianists can be difficult enough; sixteen pianists seemed destined for chaos. Moreover, contrary to intuition, when multiple pianos strike the same note simultaneously, the sound doesn’t increase in volume; the sound waves seem to clash in mid-air, canceling each other out in some sonic tug-of-war. Then there were the duet logistics. Writing for two pianists on one piano can be a puzzle of awkward hand collisions, yet one wouldn’t want to constantly spread the four hands over the full range of the piano — that steamroller of sound can be grating for the listener! Writing for 16 pianists across 8 pianos exponentially compounded these concerns.
But beyond the technical challenges, the most important question I kept asking myself was: How do I musically justify having all these pianos and pianists? What’s the reason for 16 people on stage?
Turns out those challenges were just the beginning. I spent five months working on the score, day and night, even asking for a one-month extension. The process was more demanding than I could have anticipated, yet also more creatively fulfilling than I had imagined.
Titled Star & Stripes: Fireworks for 8 Pianos, 32 Hands, the 10-minute work draws inspiration from John Philip Sousa’s “The Stars & Stripes Forever March.” Conceived on a grand scale, much of the piece features unique effects made possible by the mass of pianos. The 16 parts weave together through overlapping layers of tremolos, scales, and arpeggios that blend into sonic impressions of clouds, fireworks, and rainbows—almost like painting with sound.
Several of my pianistic idols and mentors participated in the world premiere at the Aspen Music Festival Klein Music Tent, including Veda Kaplinsky, Hung-Kuan Chen, Arie Vardi, and Anton Nel. (It was an auspicious yet nerve-wracking conducting debut!)
The score will soon be available for sale here on gregandersonpiano.com, but for now, enjoy a sneak peek with these brief teasers from our dress rehearsal over on my Instagram account.
Van Cliburn International Piano Competition 2022
Piano lovers, rejoice! The quadrennial piano olympics begin this week and promise to be chock-full of mind-blowing talent, incredible music, and hair-raising performances. The entire competition will be streamed free-of-charge and hosted, in part, by yours truly.
While co-hosting the 2017 Cliburn Competition was hugely rewarding for us, it was also exhausting. Incredibly and impressively, The Cliburn has tripled the size of the production team for the 2022 competition. Look for an entirely new webcast setup this year — more bells & whistles, hosts, and content. You’ll find us highlighting many of the behind-the-scenes activities, and Liz will be co-hosting at the anchor desk for the finals alongside Buddy Bray!
Watch the drama unfold live here.
From The Cliburn:
The entire sixteenth edition of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (June 2–18, 2022) will be streamed live online from the first note to the announcement of the new 2022 gold medalist.
The Cliburn was a pioneer in the early days of webcasting, and it continues to innovate and expand this vital program as a global leader in the field; this year becoming the first classical music competition in the world to broadcast in 4K HDR.
The 2022 Competition webcast promises an even higher level of quality of sound and picture; a compelling, immersive program around the performances that gives viewers behind-the-scenes access and insightful commentary; and the widest selection of ways to watch of any classical music competition in history.
Viewership is expected to top 10 million.
Discover streaming options: https://cliburn.org/2022-webcast/
Album release: Bach & Rachmaninoff
In celebration of what would have been Sergei Rachmaninoff's 141st birthday, I'm super excited to announce the release of my brand new solo album. From the heavenly heights of Bach's French Suite No. 5 to the fiery depths of hell portrayed in Rachmaninoff's Piano Sonata No. 1, the album makes for a thoroughly unearthly and transcendent journey.
Together they represent my personal journey as a pianist: I first played the French Suite as a fledgling pianist growing up in Minnesota, and the sonata I began years later as a doctoral student at Yale University. They are forever special to me; I hope that you'll similarly find meaning and beauty while exploring them.
Learn more about the album here.
Read the program notes for Bach and for Rachmaninoff.
In celebration of what would have been Sergei Rachmaninoff's 141st birthday, I'm super excited to announce the release of my brand new solo album. From the heavenly heights of Bach's French Suite No. 5 to the fiery depths of hell portrayed in Rachmaninoff's Piano Sonata No. 1, the album makes for a thoroughly unearthly and transcendent journey.
Together they represent my personal journey as a pianist: I first played the French Suite as a fledgling pianist growing up in Minnesota, and the sonata I began years later as a doctoral student at Yale University. They are forever special to me; I hope that you'll similarly find meaning and beauty while exploring them.
Learn more about the album here.
Read the program notes for Bach and for Rachmaninoff.
gregandersonpiano.com
In an unfortunate mishap with my former domain name provider, I lost access to andersonpiano.com, my website of nine years (it's now a Japanese blog!), so I've been required to move on. Alas. As a result:
Welcome to the brand new gregandersonpiano.com!
The new site is considerably cleaner, though it still features an extensive stockpile of information, including hundreds of Q&As and both traditional and non-traditional program notes. I've also fashioned a brand new and vastly improved sheet music store.
I'll be celebrating with a new solo album out next month and a variety of other surprises. Stay tuned!
In an unfortunate mishap with my former domain name provider, I lost access to andersonpiano.com, my website of nine years (it's now a Japanese blog!), so I've been required to move on. Alas. As a result:
Welcome to the brand new gregandersonpiano.com!
The new site is considerably cleaner, though it still features an extensive stockpile of information, including hundreds of Q&As and both traditional and non-traditional program notes. I've also fashioned a brand new and vastly improved sheet music store.
I'll be celebrating with a new solo album out next month and a variety of other surprises. Stay tuned!
Rehearsing on stage in Chongqing, China. December, 2013.