Word: pianistics
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...seems incongruous at first. The author of a two-volume biography of Roosevelt and a notoriously sub-par work on Ronald Reagan, Morris has no obvious ties to the music world. However, he goes out of his way to mention on the back flap that he is both a pianist and a “private music scholar” who has been studying Beethoven with 50 years of devotion. These credentials sound about as compelling as those of the ousted director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Michael D. Brown. (But when Morris discusses at First Parish tonight...
...Wolohojian explains, can also be seen as a pair of leafy green wings. This makes the scene iconic: the annunciation, the first visit of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary.But Wolohojian insists that the painting might also be the depiction of a very personal family drama. The pianist is probably Degas’ brother Renee, the figure of Mary Renee’s wife, and the angel the wife of one of Renee’s neighbors. The pianist, with his strangely blurred face, is looking past the figure of Mary to the angel. His gaze is disturbingly prophetic...
...tragedy of the solo pianist: all alone with no one to play with. No orchestras, no choruses. When they are given the chance to perform with others, they can be trampled—as “accompanists,” they are roped into playing second-rate orchestral reductions with diva violinists and sopranos. Fortunately, the Harvard Piano Society (HPS), founded in 2000, addresses this dilemma. One of Harvard’s most inclusive music groups, it was originally created as a kind of meeting place for piano-types. Of course, the HPS is more than a musical dating...
...Pianist Mehldauis known for the eclecticism of his songbook, which ranges from Cole Porter to Radiohead. On Day Is Done, Mehldau mixes original compositions with homages to his pop heroes. From the album's first track, a propulsive version of Radiohead's Knives Out, to a plaintive reading of the theme from Alfie, to the laid-back swing of the Nat King Cole favorite No Moon at All, Mehldau expertly blends the abstract with the familiar, making even a tune as dated as Paul Simon's 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover sound new again...
...slides contentedly into the backseat, allowing the other members of a distinguished ensemble, including saxophonist Joe Lovano and guitarist John Scofield, to steer the listener through 10 intricate, moody melodies. The tempo rarely rises above a moderate shuffle, giving Lovano and Scofield space for lush, lilting solos, while Johnson, pianist Eliane Elias and drummer Joey Baron conjure a swirling, hypnotic soundscape--the perfect backdrop for a rainy autumn afternoon. --By Romesh Ratnesar