This Music Mondays, we are featuring a music by composer/pianist Jorge Mejia the idea of which was sparked when he heard the military call-response of a platoon marching on the beach.
This cadence, military and human, brought Jorge to think about identity, what does it mean to be American, what form of music is most expressive of that identity. From the first march sounds to blues. The third part is inspired by his own identity as Columbian and instructs the performers to improvise. Which, as Jorge says, makes the piece always new. This live performance is by the piano Duo Elizabeth and Marcel Bergmann, winners of the 1993 Dranoff 2 Piano Competition and today a vital part of the identity of contemporary 2 piano music.
The little story of the spark is wonderful. Two things could not be more antithetical than the military march and ocean waves. And yet – sounds are everywhere, absent of value. Music is everywhere if we allow ourselves to be open to really hearing. We have been forced outside the usual, “normal” pathways of experiencing much of the performing arts. But it bears gifts: Jorge has commented that he loves some of these changes. Not getting on a plane twice a week, of being home, of experiencing the space to compose in calm places. To listen.
To keep our ears open to the call-response in the world.
Warmly,
Gabriele Fiorentino
President,
The Dranoff 2 Piano Foundation
Piano Slam
