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about
"Shift in Tonal Centers" by US-american composer Odeya Nini was commissioned by German pianist Susanne Kessel.
It part of Vol. 10 of Susanne Kessel's global composition project
"250 piano pieces for Beethoven"
Susanne Kessel invited 250 composers from all over the world to write new piano pieces for Beethoven's 250th anniversary in the year 2020. All pieces refer to Beethoven's music and/or his life.
Susanne Kessel played the world premieres of all the piano pieces in Beethoven's birthtown Bonn. And further performances also in other cities and countries.
All pieces are published within a high quality sheet music edition by EDITIONS MUSICA FERRUM / London.
You can find the sheet music of this piece in Vol. 10 of the project's edition.
Odeya Nini about her piano piece “Shift in Tonal Centers”:
This title is taken from the Wikipedia article on Beethoven. I pulled it up to brush up on Beethoven and when I read about his music described this way it struck a chord in me.
Its feels common in a way and of course many composers think this way, but somehow when I read this I thought of my childhood and engaging in this kind of composition at an early age. Today I describe my music as having shifting tonal centers, and it made me trace back some of my personal history with music and Beethoven – which lead to the following thoughts.
When thinking about Beethoven, the strongest feeling and memory that comes to mind is playing Für Elise as a child. Für Elise was the first ‘hard’ piece that I felt I mastered as a child. I was so proud of playing it and knew it by heart without even knowing where my fingers would go. That feeling of music transporting you, living inside of you, moving thorough you like an intuitive ghost was first experienced for me through playing Für Elise. Between 6th and 9th grade I stopped studying piano, but I still could play Für Elise from beginning to end without hesitation. I was amazed at the feeling of not knowing what would happen, I could not tell you one by one where each note would go, but once I sat and just surrendered into the piece – I would be flying. It made me feel confident and most importantly talented as a musician.
I remember as a child feeling like I had something beyond my control, something I could tap into that was beyond me, and it would happen when I played Für Elise. Honestly, I did not think about this or even remember this until I was prompted to write something with the instruction of Beethoven. I feel I owe so much of my self awareness as an artist to this piece of music. That trust that music would move through me might all be owed to my experience with Für Elise.
Another thought that came to mind when thinking of this was my relationship to western music, and a western culture that I felt I participated in on a deeper level when playing this music. Growing up in the US to immigrant middle eastern parents that never assimilated, I always felt very separate from western culture. As I sat down to play the first phrase, beginning in D, which is a note I always gravitate to on the piano, I realized these notes and this scale is actually very middle eastern sounding. Maybe subconsciously that was my deep rooted connection, the synthesis of both my worlds.
I feel such a sense of gratitude for this music, and this composer. Thank You for this memory and realization. Much Gratitude, Odeya.“
credits
released February 10, 2019
Executive Producer: Susanne Kessel
Recording Producer: Stephan Schmidt
Steinway D: Schoke Flügel & Pianos
Sheet Music: Editions Musica Ferrum / London
Supported by BTHVN2020 Jubiläumsgesellschaft gGmbH
German pianist Susanne Kessel invited 250 composers all around the globe to write piano pieces "for Beethoven". In
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