Whenever a new year begins, I always find myself having an
extra spring in my step. This is reflected by the music that I heavily play
around this time. And as I welcome 2017, I have ZOFO’s sophomore album Mosh Pit, released by Sono Luminus, currently on heavy rotation.
This album may not be a new release but it’s perfect for me to keep the adrenaline
pumping hoping that this upbeat mood will last me throughout the year.
The piano duo ZOFO, a shorthand for 20-finger orchestra
(ZO=20 and FO=finger orchestra) is made up of Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi. With Mosh Pit, the duo featured
high energy music of from 20th century American composers like
George Gershwin, Conlon Nancarrow, Samuel Barber, John Corigliano, Allen Shawn
and Paul Schoenfield. Various dance styles and rhythms ranging from Carribean, blues, tango, boogie, and even rock and roll make this CD more edgy and
sensual than the usual classical/romantic piano fare.
George Gershwin’s four hands arrangement of his Cuban
Overture was still able to retain the festive Caribbean flavor despite the
absence of the percussion instruments highlighted in the orchestral version of
the piece. The Sonatina by Conlon Nancarrow is a short highly syncopated piece venturing
into blues and ragtime.
Samuel Barber’s Souvenirs, Op. 28, with the different dance in each movement, one couldn’t help but sway to the beat which can be embarrassing to do while aboard the light railway trains. Speaking of trains, the various movements of John Corigliano’s Gazebo Dances and Allen Shawn’s Three Dance Portraits are light, short, and breezy enough to keep me from getting too stressed if ever the train rides get too jam packed. And the moderately fast tempo would keep me going whenever I walk considering that travelling by foot is often times faster than riding something nowadays.
Paul Schoenfield’s Five Days from the Life of a Manic Depressive is the longest piece and the chunky meat of the CD. The music here does not really plunge to the depths of despair as the title suggests. It does skim the surface occasionally but remains triumphant in the end which is what I want my 2017 to be. Overall, high energy abounds in this album but there’s still enough contrasting material as to not make it sound monotonous.
As I listen to the CD, I couldn’t help but imagine how the parts were divided between Eva-Maria and Keisuke. And also how fun and enjoyable it must be to play these pieces. One thing that really fascinates me about four hands performances is how close the two pianists can get. Not only there is physical intimacy, there are also moments of theatricality especially when the hands of both pianists cross to the other’s section. I guess that both really have to like each other to be comfortable playing that close to one another. Because of this, I’ve been trying to think of an extremely dark and aggressive piece in the four hands repertoire. And I’m digging up nothing so far. It would be very difficult to play such a piece with someone that close and such proximity may feel like an invasion of personal space already.
Samuel Barber’s Souvenirs, Op. 28, with the different dance in each movement, one couldn’t help but sway to the beat which can be embarrassing to do while aboard the light railway trains. Speaking of trains, the various movements of John Corigliano’s Gazebo Dances and Allen Shawn’s Three Dance Portraits are light, short, and breezy enough to keep me from getting too stressed if ever the train rides get too jam packed. And the moderately fast tempo would keep me going whenever I walk considering that travelling by foot is often times faster than riding something nowadays.
Paul Schoenfield’s Five Days from the Life of a Manic Depressive is the longest piece and the chunky meat of the CD. The music here does not really plunge to the depths of despair as the title suggests. It does skim the surface occasionally but remains triumphant in the end which is what I want my 2017 to be. Overall, high energy abounds in this album but there’s still enough contrasting material as to not make it sound monotonous.
As I listen to the CD, I couldn’t help but imagine how the parts were divided between Eva-Maria and Keisuke. And also how fun and enjoyable it must be to play these pieces. One thing that really fascinates me about four hands performances is how close the two pianists can get. Not only there is physical intimacy, there are also moments of theatricality especially when the hands of both pianists cross to the other’s section. I guess that both really have to like each other to be comfortable playing that close to one another. Because of this, I’ve been trying to think of an extremely dark and aggressive piece in the four hands repertoire. And I’m digging up nothing so far. It would be very difficult to play such a piece with someone that close and such proximity may feel like an invasion of personal space already.
All these thoughts do entice me to one day try to play
pieces for four hands. I know that it would take a lot of digging to get my hands on scores of pieces that would catch my fancy. Ultimately, the bigger question is which pianist will be up to the task to sit by my side and play four hands music with one piano.
ZOFO has released four albums to date: Mind Meld, Mosh Pit, Zoforbit: A Space Odyssey, and ZOFO Plays Terry Riley. Their debut
album Mind Meld earned them two Grammy Award nominations back in 2013.
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