Dance music - Tango

Playing dance music is a good way to develop good sense of rhythm and steady pulse. Beside avoiding the chance to get bored by steady beat music, dance music also helps students to cherish excitement accompanying the strong steady beat throughout the music.

A Sassy Tango- Tango for Piano by Igor Stravinsky



Another tango- Libertango (Piazzolla) - performed by Yo-Yo Ma and chamber group

Trois mouvements de Petrouchka

Listening to the piano arrangement of orchestral version Petrouchka composed by the amazing composer Igor Stravinsky, you can hear very lively, descriptive multi-levels of musical activity going on at the dimension of time. There is a special "clashed"chord named after the main character of the story "Petrouchka chord" where c major triad and F#major triad are "clashed" together.

The piece is highly challenging as you need a very acute sense of rigid rhythm to maintain the flow of the piece as well as big hands to reach all the big chords. Challenging, yet fun and exciting to listen to.

The story narrates about a russian puppet, Petrouchka who was merely made of straw and dust who came to alive by a special magic flute. He developed human emotions and fell in love with a ballerina but eventually went back to be a broken puppet at the end.

The music was originally composed by Stravinsky for a Ballet. He also made the piano arrangement for his pianist friend Artur Rubinstein. So, imagine playing all the orchestral instruments with your 10 fingers on the 88 keys.

Note in this one, the pianist has omitted some notes from the Petrouchka chord.

If interested in purchasing a recording of this piece, Maurizio Pollini recorded the same piece with Polygram Classics

Boston Symphony at Carnegie.

"Boston Symphony tickets, Boston Symphony tonight, any one?"
I thought I was going to miss the chance to listen to Jewish pianist Daniel Balenboim when I was told that the ticket were sold out earlier in the morning. However, I still came back to try my luck. And, luck was, indeed on my side. I would complain about the heavy rain pour in the evening and being swore by rude impatient New Yorker in the subway station, but I would not complain about the price of the ticket. Because, first of all, the seller sold it to me although there were 4 other people wanting to buy it. In addition to that, he knew that I was looking for a ticket since I walked out from the ticket office that morning.... (I know what you are thinking, what a creepy guy)

Anyways, the point is, I got to listen to Daniel Balenboim. And also Boston Symphony under James Levine's baton. I was so happy that I don't care about all the odds that cross my will.

The concert began with a surprise- conductor James Levine and Pianist Daniel Balenboim performed a piano duet Fantasy by Schubert. Both are world famous conductors, skillful pianists, and big guys sitting parallel at the piano. Although they may look awkwardly crowded at the piano, I could hear unusually breathtaking phrasing, colorful atmosphere, artful pause, and smooth cooperation of voicing and accompanying texture. I felt like being brought into a different world (maybe of fantasy) while closing my eyes to listen. That was what makes the performances fabulous: One symphony conductor and one opera conductor utilized all their imaginative talents :)

After that, Beethoven Piano Concerto was performed. Pianist Daniel Balenboim performed with great palette of tone color. He has a great lyrical sense maybe because he had been conducting opera singers. The tension and release of the music was powerful and touching under Borenboim's fingers and Levine's baton. Something new that I had learnt is, Levine actually sit at a swing stool to conduct. It was kind of weird but after I googled him online, I found out that he had a health reason for that special setting.

As a conductor also, pianist Balenboim has a strong and unique sense of rhythm in performing. And aria style of approach to lyrical lines.He is undeniably a maestro :). Anyone who can be his student is so darn lucky.

After the intermission, Balenboim remained at the piano bench, Elliot Carter's "Interventions for Piano and Orchestra" was premiered. That was an artfully stimulating modern piece. After the performance, a birthday cake was presented to the stage, and the 100th year-old american composer was invited to make a wish and blow the candle. In the program book, Carter shared that "the rite of spring" by stravinsky inspired him to become a music composer. And Carter is a composer who composes more and more as he gets older. Anyways, it was a great honor to witness a composer mentioned in my music textbook in real person celebrating his 100 birthday after his new piece. That was a great historical moment but I didn't bring my camera :( darn....

And the last piece performed by Boston Symphony was Mr Carter's inspiration in becoming a composer- "The Rite of Spring". Because it was very disharmonic and percussive, most audience couldn't appreciate it. Who said music has to be pretty and in rigid harmony? The percussiveness in "The rite of spring" actually challenges the audience with its extreme intensity, energy, and dynamic. It actually sounds dangerously adventurous and yet amazing as ever.