Little Music Note

April 28th, 2009 by Reb

How many 6-year-olds get a chance to play at the White House? Well, here’s Emily Bear. The pianist, and composer at the age of six. Read the rest of this entry »

April 28th, 2009 by Reb

At the age of 21, Canadian pianist Avan Yu has already performed in recital and with orchestra on four continents, consistently captivating audiences with his extraordinary musicianship and prodigious ability. He is the only pianist to win First Prize in both the Junior and Senior Divisions of the Missouri Southern International Piano Competition. During a recent tour of Quebec and Ontario for Jeunesses Musicales of Canada, Claude Gingras of Montreal’s La Presse wrote, “Avan Yu is destined to become a very important pianist.”

April 27th 2009

Avan Yu’s performance with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

Debussy Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune
Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini* (Avan Yu)
Stravinsky Petrouchka

Read the rest of this entry »

April 28th, 2009 by Reb

Recognize this melody?

Yep, it’s the famous Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini. At first I thought it’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, (Sure has the feeling doesn’t it?) but then I remembered that’s the song being used in weddings, aka the Wedding March.

Above is LangLang’s playing of this famous tone. Read the rest of this entry »

April 25th, 2009 by Reb

Pachelbel’s Canon, also known as Canon in D major. One of the most popular tones being played and borrowed throughout history. The word Canon, meant for repeated chords with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration. Basically, just a melody being repeated with variations to each repetition. Try singing “Row row row your boat” with 2 people or more to create a rondo. You’ve got yourself a canon of some sort.

Pachelbel wrote this chamber music for three violins and basso continuo in 1680, during the Baroque period. Many people recognize this period of time in music history with one famous composer, Bach. Since the discovery of Pachelbel’s arrangement of Canon in D around 1920’s, thousands of varieties arose from this familiar tone. I remember the first time I got my hands on playing this piece, back when I was 12. It was like my dream song. Read the rest of this entry »

April 20th, 2009 by Reb

Thanks to a very special person, I’ve got my own music blog. =)

I’ve been thinking about a question that’s been raises over and over again recently, “What is Music, and Who gets to call it music”? People who have heard of John Cage probably know what I’m talking ab0ut. The first time I “heard” his 4′33 was from “Beethoven’s Virus”. Now how would I describe that experience; from to the story’s point of view, it was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. That’s how I remembered his name, and his work.
Read the rest of this entry »