Greetings from New England!

[deafeninglysilent_1.61...]

Hello everyone,

I am a New Englander classical fanatic who plays the piano and organ, and composes. I am especially interested in modern classical music, but I also love early and traditional music. A sample of my repertoire:

various contrapuncti from Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080, by you-know-who (on piano, organ, and harpsichord [a side "hobby instrument" of mine])

Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111, by Ludwig van Beethoven
Last Pieces by Morton Feldman
Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus by Olivier Messiaen
Sonate No. 3 by Giacinto Scelsi
Sonata in G Major, D894, by Franz Schubert

various movements from Vêpres du commun des fêtes de la Sainte Vierge, Op. 18, by Marcel Dupré
Livre du Saint-Sacrement by Olivier Messiaen
Messe de la Pentecôte by Olivier Messiaen




I feel that my composing is just as important, if not more so, than my performing. Composing is what I feel is my foremost role in the music community. My works have been performed at various venues.

My current project is a very ambitious one of various religions' and artists' conceptions of the afterlife. The center of this piece is of a triptych of hell, purgatory, and heaven based on Dante and Bosch. The only problem with that is that I just discovered that Andriessen has done the same, a piece (La Commedia) based on Dante and on Bosch; Sciarrino has also done a long tone poem based on Dante, which I found out about after a few weeks of extremely detailed research into Dante. Anyways, this central triptych will be played one part at a time (out of three) in a central concert hall. Various other pieces (I do not wish to call them movements, as the piece is conceived as a sort of collage, not as a completely contiguous piece) will be played in the foyer, outside the concert hall, in various rooms or spaces surrounding the concert hall, and any available hallways. As an example, I plan to have a procession in which the audience slowly walks through a dark hallway, lit only by candles, with musicians positioned about 7 feet away from each other, all playing. I may even have a karta recite mantras at the beginning of the procession, if doing so is in conformity with the Hindu faith, as it is not in the context of a funeral procession. This procession will end at a point that splits into three rooms or spaces. In one room is a piece titled Brahmapura, Brahma's abode; in another is the piece Vaikuntha, Vishnu's abode (this will be in the largest room); in the third room is the piece Kailās, a mountain whose summit is the abode of Shiva. This might sound like a piece of Stockhausen's; indeed, Stockhausen has been an influence in this piece, but more in the organizational/spatial sense, for the music does not bear obvious influence of him, except for the Purgatorio, a multi-layered piece complete with an electronic background as the first layer, a tape played high above the audience of contrapuntal wind/brass (which may remind some of Zeitmaße, or a multiplication of the flugelhorn part of "Pieta" from Dienstag aus Licht), and of the much more prominent and moving third layer, featuring a large ensemble and several singers (SATB soloists).

It would be a miracle for this piece to be performed soon after it is written, as none of my pieces have been as ambitious: my longest piece so far is half-an-hour long.

I thank you for taking the time to read my post, which is somewhat longer than the other introductions posts that I have read. I look forward to meeting you and talking about what we all love very much: music!

Sincerely,
deafininglysilent_1.61...

[springrite]

various contrapuncti from Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080, by you-know-who (on piano, organ, and harpsichord [a side "hobby instrument" of mine])

Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111, by Ludwig van Beethoven
Last Pieces by Morton Feldman
Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus by Olivier Messiaen
Sonate No. 3 by Giacinto Scelsi
Sonata in G Major, D894, by Franz Schubert

You hail from one of my favorite places and play some of my favorite pieces!

Welcome!

[deafeninglysilent_1.61...]

Thank you both! 

[Karl Henning]

Welcome! Cheers from Boston!

[Lisztianwagner]

Welcome to the forum, I hope you'll have a nice time here.

[kyjo]

Welcome from a fellow pianist (though I'm not quite adept enough to play the pieces you mention)! Good luck in having your music performed

[mc ukrneal]

Welcome and enjoy!

[deafeninglysilent_1.61...]

Again, thank you all!