PortRait_9teen,**2k9teen for "ghost" piano and cello
Channel: Pat Muchmore
Date: 2023-04-17

This is the second video from my concert in February of 2023. If you want to see the first, go here: https://youtu.be/o8dn-xUyAnM

Description of piece below.

0:00 Start
6:10 PortRait_9teen,**2k9teen begins
14:58 Q&A session

The third and final part of the concert, featuring Paul Kerekes, is here: https://youtu.be/9XWSEUnupak

I’ve written many pieces in my PortRait series, and almost all are for a solo instrument with pre-recorded electronics. PortRait_9teen,**2k9teen however, replaces the electronics with a MIDI-controlled piano. In a way, this is kind of an anti-cello sonata, with the solo part often seeming to take a back seat to an increasingly deranged piano, but nevertheless guiding the overall arc of the piece. The cello also sometimes sits in an alternative harmonic universe, playing quarter-tones that sit in between the piano’s pitches, while the piano tries to “catch” it. I’m realizing that Ligeti’s Cello Concerto was a background inspiration for the soloist-as-puppetmaster idea; sorry György boy! That being said, the composer this piece rips off the most is Penderecki. Apologies Krzysztof, that’s what you get for trying to hoard all the consonants.