Mixtape vol. 3
After Orfeo ed Euridice:
1. “Dance of the blessed spirits” (Theme from “Orfeo ed Euridice”, Christoph Willibald Gluck, transcribed for piano by Wilhelm Kempff)
2. Improvised variation of the theme
In Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Opera “Orfeo ed Euridice”, refering to the Greek myth of Orpheus, after calming the furies with his play, Orfeo
enters the elysium and reunites with Euridice. This is where the well-known “Dance of the Blessed Spirits” takes place and the famous flute-theme is being heard.
“In walked Nicki”, is a study using some compositional ideas referring to Oliver Messiaen. Its also a blues, which I tried to strip down to its rawness and holiness in the middle section. It is a dedication to my cat Nicki.
It’s always a hard question in what way to refer to a musical heritage from another time. As any musician is making decisions based on a musical legacy that has influenced him. This mixtape is a freak example of bringing together opposite poles and “mixes” musical styles in the truest sense. I’ve gone back in forth with this approach, as it tends to muddy up things. The initial idea to this series was to document a working process and channel it as some sort of output for the listener to experience. The music on these tapes therefore is what a recording of a “hands-on-working-process” must be: Raw.
In that sense, I want to encourage you to explore the sources of this specific mixtape:
The original theme: Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787); Reigen seliger Geister (Dance of the Blessed Spirits); Berliner Philharmoniker,
Herbert von Karajan
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFWcTqLCbdM
Wilhelm Kempff plays the transcription:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZmZ_26zWYI
from
Solo Piano Mix Tape Series,
track released June 19, 2018
Max Petersen - Steinway piano
recorded March 2018 in Zurich by Johannes Höcketstaller