Ensemble Signal Plays Jonny Greenwood: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
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- Опубліковано 19 тра 2019
- May 20, 2019 | Jonny Greenwood -- I've watched a lot of Tiny Desk concerts over the years. It's good to see musicians in the raw, away from stage lighting and backing tracks - as if they've just stopped by an office to play over a lunch break, with desk-bound employees watching on. The performances should expose flaws, but instead they tend to expose musicians being casually brilliant, like the members of Ensemble Signal, who certainly play these pieces beautifully.
Unfortunately, I was nowhere near Washington, D.C. for this recording. And I still find it bizarre that you can put a musical idea on paper and have it reproduced at such a distance - and with such added life. We're used to sounds and images being shared as exact clones of one another, but the pleasure in using ink and paper is that the music is interpreted rather than just reproduced. All those years of practice, in all those players, distilled into 15 minutes of music. It's a big privilege - and a continuing motivation to write the best I can.
The first piece, Three Miniatures from Water, was originally a sketch for an Australian Chamber Orchestra commission in 2014. I thought it'd be easier to approach writing for full orchestra by starting with a piano miniature and scaling it up. In fact, only some of the material made it to the final commission, and I always felt the original three miniatures hung together well enough as its own piece of music.
I'm a big admirer of composer Olivier Messiaen, and one of the musical scales he favored was the octatonic mode. It's a lot like an Indian rag in that it's a rigid set of notes, yet isn't necessarily in a major or minor key. There are hundreds of rags in Indian music, but I was surprised to find that Messiaen's octatonic scale isn't one of them. Despite this, it sits nicely over a drone - and that was the starting point for this music. That and the glorious sound of the tanpura, the drone instrument that underpins everything in classical Indian music.
The piece is called Water, after the Philip Larkin poem with the same title, and was especially inspired by the final stanza:
And I should raise in the east
A glass of water
Where any-angled light
Would congregate endlessly.
The second piece, called 88 (No. 1), is also in one of Messiaen's modes in the first half, before becoming a celebration of the mechanical nature of the piano. The performer has to put fingerless gloves on halfway through, partly in tribute to the immortal Glenn Gould, and partly because the technique requires some painful hammering. But don't let that fool you into thinking the music is dark or angry: It is - or is meant to be - joyful.
SET LIST
Three Miniatures from Water
88 (No. 1)
MUSICIANS
Ensemble Signal:
Lisa Moore: piano; Olivia De Prato: violin; Lauren Radnofsky: cello; Greg Chudzik: bass; Paul Coleman and Elena Moon Park: tanpura
CREDITS
Producers: Tom Huizenga, Morgan Noelle Smith; Creative Director: Bob Boilen; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Mixed by Jonny Greenwood; Videographers: Morgan Noelle Smith, Bronson Arcuri, Kaylee Domzalski, Kimani Oletu; Associate Producer: Bobby Carter; Photo: Amr Alfiky/NPR
lol.. when she said "this piece was written in 20 15", I instantly thought "wow.. that's an interesting timing, I'll have to have a go at that one myself sometime" and then I realised she just meant the year and then I thought.. "I'm tired.. I should go to bed!" :)
Jonny writes so well for piano
His strings kill me
I'm in tears. Glenn Gould would be proud. Thank you.
Jonny could sit in one corner doing nothing, and I'd be happy.
I absolutely LOVE that Tiny Desk also has room for these kind of concerts!
Fantastic share; incorporating the drone of the tanpura adds to the suspended beauty of this chamber work so effectively - bravo JG yet another gorgeous, unique opus from your fertile pen 👏👏👏👏
Nice piano work, with a dash of A - tonality in the mix . Most music is happy or sad this is a fascinating amalgamation of emotions . Like real life often we are pressed , stressed, or concerned it’s more complex then happy or sad this music captures that struggle .
I've always thought that was Radiohead greatest strength: musically articulating those emotional grey areas in ways words never could
i could listen to that first song forever
I think The Comet Is Coming would make an excelent Tiny Desk Concert.
This is awesome. Love the drone backing for the violin and piano solos
That poor piano Haha. Props to her for pulling that off, amazing.
The pianist and violinist are extremely skilled, holy moly
I saw Lisa Moore a couple of years ago at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, TN. The performance was in the sanctuary of St John's Episcopal Church and it was an unforgettable experience. If you ever have the opportunity to see her live, do not pass it up.
I was there too and I agree 100%. I go to BE every year and that show still stands out. She's amazing.
music for music nerds... love it
Excellent! Some unique instruments happening here!
Thanks for this! ❤ Beautiful!!
It was wild and emotional. Was not expecting any of that.
crazy piano solo, l was shock by the end of it
It's funny how the first group of comments for these videos are always negative, then the real fans show up and suddenly it's genius.
I for one very much enjoyed this, especially the first piece.
If anyone really digs this and wants more, I suggest search out the band 'The Necks'.
Thank u for this gift. The necks complete me.. for now until the next awe inspiring sound comes along.
_disappears as sand in the wind_
Oh that's the band my dad tried getting me into by buying one of their vinyls for my birthday...and I still haven't listened to it...
When she puts on the gloves, I knew something wild was about to happen
Preston Miller why she wears gloves, if I can ask?
@@adrianmatosmoscoso read description
I discovered Messiaen and Radiohead separately, and have always loved and admired both, so the fact that Jonny makes such Messiaenesque music is awesome.
This is so good. Thank you.
Wow! That's quite the palette cleanser, not what I was expecting and brought me back to my college days get that .5 credit for recital! Such great musicianship!
Amazing creator and performance
Really digging that second piece for solo piano. Reminds me of one of Ligeti's etudes.
I need to see what the notation of everything after 20:00 looks like
i was thinking the same thing
Jonny Greenwood said "Maybe some sad, atonal string music is exactly what Transformers 7 will need.”
Maybe some of your sad, atonal string music is what my life will need. XX century has brought some really good academic music and XXI have just started on fire
disgusting.
That last piece was haunting when listening in another tab, but when I clicked back over and saw that she was southpawing the keys pretty haphazardly, I laughed. Great performance!
what!? he mixed the audio too!?
i was about to say it did sound spot on.
Pretty awesome!
He's incredibly versatile, I'm grateful Jonny Greenwood shares his music with all of us to hear!
GREAT STUFF!
Brilliantly, beautiful.
*Oh no*
*The darkness*
*Not again*
*sigh* Fuck... every...damn.. time!
i am sure musicians admire Alfred Schnittke music. Absolutely great performance!
10:53 it was at this moment I realized the violinist is an absolute beast lol
the humming! the citar!
This was amazing - the first song was a journey, and I loved the poem -- but I think it's time for Meshuggah now
Wow .. I can't speak because it's amazing
The sound engineer is a god
need to start listening to some film scores.
Can you recommend some?
@@freddiesmith-wright7531 phantom thread
My savior ❤️
Total musical chaos!
in the first piece, if you isolate the cellos/sitar, it´s a perfect example of "meditative music".
Soothe me.
I noticed that at the beginning of 88 she is humming along to the melody. I wonder if that has to do with the fact that the piece tells you to play like Glenn Gould? Heheh
jibbyfoob yes it does say that in the score
That chord at 7:05 in that context.
God, I wanna see Vulfpeck in NPR
💎
So beautiful! Still waiting for Alex Cuba
this sounds like a score to a film. it actually sounds familiar.
Invite to Los Aguas Aguas from México ❤️
get Thom and Jonny in !!
yesssssssssssssssss
Would love to see Alejandro Aranda on NPR!
🙏👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍
Marika Hackman is touring in the US soon, you should get her on.
For the first time Click notification...
I Hope They are playing 1 composition from AMSP Album... lol
Is it possible to get high quality audio of this Masterpiece?
"water" has been recorded and released by the "australian chamber orchestra". 88 remains unreleased
The first one is on Apple Music now.
@@pazmendivil true!
Oh my lord please do music for shows/movies
He already did
The one performance the neighbors of NPR didn't have to call the cops
Can you guys consider bringing los lonely boys for some reason this TDC reminded me of them.
Please, NPR, invite Solange!
Kinda funny to see the song lyrics behind the violinist "I'm a thoroughbred ni**gga..."
How did I not know about this?!?😲
Edit: okay I re-read the title... that’s cool they’re playing his music, but why book it without Jonny?
Maybe because he composes it but does not play it.
@@petratetris5944 actually, he does play the piano. He just wasn't here for this particular occasion. You can find footage of him playing piano with ensembles online
Hello void, what are you doing in my house? Im very busy!
Please get Chris Crack on tiny desk!!!
Noise.
where the fudge is that foxing set dawgs. send it to me, i won't tell
Question to those more well-versed in the different genres of classical music.... what would you all call these pieces?
Minuatures From Water, to me sounds like either Post-Minimalism or Totalism. I can't quite decide which, but I'm leaning towards Post-Minimalism. It has touches of Drone in it as well
As for 88, can't think of much else of what to call it other than Chamber Music, but that seems unfair. Seems to have touches of Sonorism in there as well in the second part, noting the unconventional use of the instrument and the "wall of sound" effect it creates if I'm using the right term (I'm probably not, lol). 88 is great as it sounds like a perfect fusion of the best elements of Penderecki and Messaien... and on a solo instrument. Messaien was in a league of his own, too, don't quite know what to call most of his music
I'm here for the same question.
Wish you could invite RATM here that would be Lit
Invite Alejandro Aranda please!
WHERE'S JONNY
Hiatus Kaiyote pleaseeeeee
Sheet music for three minature from water piano solo?
drop a line to musicfornow@fabermusic.com - Jonny's publisher for Three Miniatures. The solo piano piece '88 No 1' is on Amazon etc.
Does anybody know if "hum along" and "put on fingerless gloves" is written in the score?
Yes! You can find a preview of the score here: www.prestomusic.com/sheet-music/products/8461825--jonny-greenwood-88-no-1
And it says: "Like Thelonious Monk copying Glenn Gould* playing Bach"
*Gould-style vocalising of melodic lines is encouraged but not essential
@@jamesaldred1494 You can actually see the whole score here: scorelibrary.fabermusic.com/88-No1-34748.aspx Fingerless gloves are suggested but not compulsory.
Where is Idles.
You should have Cuco on
Please get Jon Bellion to do a session !!!
when are you gonna upload the Jacob Collier session?
What the fuck is star wars?
Smino please
sounds like Jonny heard suspirium
except these were all written about 4-5 years ago...
Ehm... where's Johnny Greenwood
He wrote the composition
Probably in the audience?
where can I buy this
Sean Hartley Both pieces are published by Faber Music and available from them.
There is an Australian Chamber Orchestra recording in vinyl format.
Batı dang it looks like it can’t be found anywhere anymore. So bummed.
@@sph33_ The sheet music for piano piece can be bought here www.fabermusicstore.com/88-No1-0571522262.aspx - or it's on Amazon etc. The Three Miniatures can be bought here www.fabermusic.com/repertoire/three-miniatures-from-water
@@Bati_ That recording is of "Water" - it's not the same piece really. These Miniatures are sketches for that. There is a commercial recording of the piano piece coming out soon, I think.
love this but why the fingerless gloves 🤔
from the description: "The performer has to put fingerless gloves on halfway through, partly in tribute to the immortal Glenn Gould, and partly because the technique requires some painful hammering."
djoj20 Thanks! But now I’m more confused 🤔 I get the Gould reference, but how would fingerless gloves do anything to protect the fingers from painful hammering? 🤔
@@leoleoleoleo They help the hands slide over the keys more smoothly.
Tim Brooke thanks for the reply Tim. How would the hands sliding over the keys more smoothly help protect the fingers? I’m having trouble picturing that! Does anyone else have any ideas? 🙂
@@leoleoleoleo The part around 20:50 has her bashing the palms of her hands down on the keys. I imagine gloves helped reduce the impact on those delicate pianists hands, otherwise some might find it painful to keep practicing and performing?
And then people wonder how trap music can currently be the most culturally relevant...
Where's Jonny?
He isnt there, they are playing his compositions.
But where is he?
@@fka_60113Maybe sleeping in his house
@@fka_60113 they are doing a cover of Johnny's music. He himself is not playing it.
@@rodrigoosoriomolina6120 Thanks!
RELEASE SMINO TINY DESK WHAT ARE YALL DOING, did someone up there lose the film? Be honest
😧
Кто здесь?)
Still waiting for you to invite AnnenMayKatereit.
is she just punching random keys at the end or what's going on?
this came on as meditation, deconstructed; knowledge, backwards-engineered to a sonic essential. jonny is nearing the full circle, his ideation yet to fail childhood wonder. last, the near-wordlessness almost does justice, particularly that of the host's minimalist contributions, limited to a clapped subservience; ideologues to their communal narcissism, needing something.
Sometimes less is more. I would have been happier if the piece lasted only 8 minutes. I was beginning to feel sorry for the cello and bass whose parts requires total dedication to one note each.
WAT
Please invite boy pablo or Mac DeMarco :(
IT''S A BIT MUCH.
Dang, I nodded off.
Jonny Greenwood's involvement in this is not made clear enough. Even in this post pitchfork.com/news/watch-jonny-greenwoods-npr-tiny-desk-concert/ it only says that he was behind it. After 13 initially intriguing but swiftly boring minutes of the band making more or less the same noise the piano player will admit that Jonny G composed the.. noise. The second tune is.. Well I've heard it now that'll do. I don't need to come back to this ever. Bring back the funk please.
First
🏆
Stan Ervin make sure to sub to me
@@jacksongiemont WHY?
Stan Ervin best comment on the planet.
Johnny greenwood is great because he has written and co written so many amazing songs that he can get professional life long musicians to randomly bang on pianos for 10 minutes and he knows that people will take it seriously as some great work of a genius when in fact he probably just thought that would be really funny to see people take that seriously. Like the billionaires going into galleries and art shows buying a 10x10 white canvas with nothing on it for millions of dollars.
I think the same, but I think this overrates him. Don't get me wrong, my intention is not to trash him, but to me this doesn't sound like something Bartok hasn't done a hundred years ago. But to each his own, I still enjoy this.
You're a tool. He's a respected, award winning composer. In what world is this any less serious or more noisy than his pop output?
@@alexanderforslund9880 well the first piece was beautiful however the second piece was literally just banging nonsense on a piano for 10 minutes which no I don't think is supposed to be taken seriously in and of itself
@@Moronmommy so atonal, dissonant or free form music isn't serious by your definition? Nothing wrong with not enjoying those types of compositions, but trying to argue against it in an objective sense makes no sense when all you're doing is putting forth your own limited idea of what music is supposed to be.
This was painful. Sorry.