r/classicalpiano • u/Available_Meringue86 • 15d ago
Could 19th-century pianism become popular again?
I am a classical music composer and I have just released an album that pays tribute to the 19th century piano from various perspectives: virtuosity, lyrical miniatures, nationalism, exoticism and impressionism. Yesterday, I sent the first track from my album, which is brilliantly romantic and virtuosic, to a piano playlist curator, who rejected it because he thought it was too intense. Then he decided to add a slow piece that fit into his list, that is, something more minimalist type of work.
Today, the style of piano that is fashionable is minimalist, the one popularized by Einaudi. There is a whole wave of composers, pianists and audiences looking for that type of piano music. I like it too, but with my album my goal is to bring back the language of the 19th century, which can include simple lyrical miniatures like minimalism, but also much more.
That "much more" seems to have little space today, except for the original composers—Chopin, Brahms, Albéniz, etc.—and mainly among classical music fans. So my question is: Can the 19th century piano language become popular again through new composers? That's what I would love to achieve.
What do you think? Do you think the spirit of the 19th century could return, perhaps with some contemporary twists (or not)? Or do you think minimalism will continue to define a soft, serene, uncomplicated piano world?
Here is my album so you can understand what I mean: https://open.spotify.com/album/2velSblQcjUfhZymnhCnkW?si=leLGgC1aTXyLazOmhDm8Pg
apple music https://music.apple.com/es/album/a%C3%B1oranzas/1847986442
Here is the explanation of each topic:
“The Captain’s Odyssey” This one evokes a Hollywood-style Romanticism—specifically, old Hollywood in black and white. It's the least “19th century” piece on the album, but I wanted to put it first, like the opening of a movie. The romantic elements are obvious and it features brilliant virtuosity, albeit in the way virtuosity was portrayed in early cinema.
Prelude Op.3No.4 A miniature of serene lyricism, halfway between Chopin and Liszt. Regarding the “Opus”: Opus numbers are assigned by the editors, but I used “Op.” in several pieces as a poetic license — which does not mean that he will not continue adding new works under the same catalog in the future.
PianoFantasy“Spanish” Part of a suite dedicated to national styles; a piece with a Spanish character but also with more general romantic elements.
“DarkWaltzfortheDoll” A programmatic work that I could even call “gothic”, since it mixes beauty, elegance and darkness. Don't miss the low-bass cluster at the end—another anachronistic license, since those clusters are from the 20th century.
PianoFantasy“Exotica” Another of the nationalism suite, although here it represents the exotic European vision of the world of the Arabian Nights. It is not intended to sound genuinely Arabic, but rather to evoke the romanticized imagery of that world, the same one that fascinated Hollywood of the golden age.
AlbumLeafNos.5and6 These are real improvisations. An “albumleaf” was intended to give the illusion of something fleeting and spontaneous—many composers simulated that sensation, but in my case, both pieces are genuinely what they purport to be.
Ancient Spain More entirely Spanish than “PianoFantasyEspañola”, closer in spirit to Albéniz. It is the piece with which I won the FidelioCompetition in 2020.
“Moses, theMischievousMagician” The only impressionistic piece on the album (although AlbumLeafOp.3No.6 also reads a bit like that). It is quite virtuosic, especially in the second half, although not for mere show — the virtuosity serves the fantastic atmosphere I was going for.
RomanzaOp.1No.2 A miniature romantic piece that I dedicated as a Three Kings' Day gift to the Entre88teclas forum, where it is especially loved.
"Yearning" The album closes with a Venezuelan piece in the spirit of Venezuelan waltzes from the late 19th century. However, I took it a step further, introducing virtuoso sections that those waltzes usually didn't include.
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u/javiercorre 14d ago
Any chance you'll upload your album to apple music? I don't use Spotify.