Frederic RzewskiI suspect the microphone you see in front of Lisa isn’t turned on, as the voice part is barely audible.
My discovery of Rzewski’s (zheff-skee) music is thanks to Sarah Cahill’s radio program Then and Now on KALW. I’ve included my own archive recording of this piece because the video above has improperly recorded audio, and I consider this work to be very important. It is a piece by a living composer, played by a wonderful performer, incorporating passages of a work of tragic literature by a noted historical figure.
Demands on the pianist include speaking, whistling, laughing, humming, sighing, moaning, whispering, snapping, slapping, and the use of a bicycle horn. Present in the work is a fluency in many genres and techniques — including fugue, impressionism, post-romanticism and poly-tonality — all serving to illustrate and highlight the text. Also quite effective is the combination of finger drumming on the keyboard lid, shaking and hitting the piano, and whispering, during passages where Wilde addresses his vivid memories of time spent with “Bosie.”
The embedded video shows a robot powered by the Vocaloid “voice synthesis” software. The movements and expressions were pre-programmed, but the generation of the singing voice from lyrics and score can be done in real-time apparently.
The piano is a Yamaha Disklavier of course, being controlled by the same program that is controlling the Vocaloid robot. This is a good example of state-of-the-art synthesis technology, and sounds natural and human to my ears.
The Character Vocal Series is a computer music program that synthesizes singing in Japanese. Developed by Crypton Future Media, it utilizes Yamaha’s Vocaloid 2 technology with specially recorded vocals of voice actors. To create a song, the user must input the melody and lyrics. A piano roll type interface is used to input the melody and the lyrics can be entered on each note. The software can change the stress of the pronunciations, add effects such as vibrato, or change the dynamics and tone of the voice.
The series is intended for professional musicians as well as light computer music users. The programmed vocals are designed to sound like an idol singer from the future. According to Crypton, because professional singers refused to provide singing data, in fear that the software might create their singing voice’s clones, Crypton changed their focus from imitating certain singers to creating characteristic vocals. This change of focus led to sampling vocals of voice actors.[11]
Each Japanese Vocaloid is given an anime-type character with specifications on age, height, weight, and musical strengths (genre, pitch range and ideal tempos). The characters of the first three installments of the series are created by illustrator Kei.
Any rights or obligations arising from the vocals created by the software belong to the software user. Just like any music synthesizer, the software is treated as a musical instrument and the vocals as sound. Under the term of license, the Character Vocal Series software can be used to create vocals for commercial or non-commercial use as long as the vocals do not offend public policy. In other words, the user is bound under the term of license with Crypton not to synthesize derogatory or disturbing lyrics. On the other hand, copyrights to the mascot image and name belong to Crypton. Under the term of license, a user cannot commercially distribute a vocal as a song sung by the character, nor use the mascot image on commercial products, without Crypton’s consent.
It is encouraging to read that “professional singers refused to provide singing data” because, as you were warned in The Performing Pianist (a pocket primer, 2002), page 27 (Digital vs. Analog):
Pianists are for the most part analog creatures. They may be transformed into digital entities by such things as the glorified player piano, the Yamaha Disklavier. This hybrid machine digitally and precisely captures the manipulations of the keys and pedals, also known as performance capture, which can then be reproduced exactly, ad infinitum, on the analog piano. A lazy individual could purchase and not play this instrument, thus avoiding the need to hire (or bribe) musicians, take lessons, or even go to concerts. This is not in the best interests of the art form. You should consider carefully the degree to which you agree to be digitized…
Here’s the shocking video of Miley singing live on the Today show. Fair warning - this has already been “fixed in post” on official outlets, and is a typical candidate for take-down. Enjoy while you can. Schadenfreude at its best. It’s worse than bad… catastrophic, tragic, and hilarious. There is no Santa Claus and your precious Miley can’t sing. Way to go, parents! How much did you pay for those tickets?
Let’s try not to confuse “autotune” with singing ability, shall we?
When I heard Lang Lang’s live performance of Balakirev’s Islamey at Tanglewood, I was a little shocked. The piece is a well-known but seldom played tour de force in the virtuoso repertoire. He certainly got people’s attention that day. I think he was given an opportunity to fill a gap left by someone else unable to perform, at the last minute. I could not hear anything even slightly off. He did not take any simplifications — none of three “ossia” alternates for near-impossible passages. In fact, he appeared to add notes, if anything. However, he was never pressed for time.
Let’s watch that first - it’s not at Tanglewood; he’s apparently at an A&E studio. Starting at 6:00 until the end, the piece is unrelenting. He seems to play the ending a bit faster here, but remains in command. An amazing accomplishment for one so young.
Next we get a glimpse inside a new Chinese film score collaboration with Tan Dun, which pleases Lang Lang in its marriage of Asian music, piano, percussion, and a “Lady Hamlet” story of operatic scope. I didn’t catch the name of the film or release date; I’ll have to seek it out.
The next set of videos are about his Deutsche Grammophon release, “Memory.” During a visit to Mozart’s home he spends some time with one of Wolfgang’s keyboards. He performs the virtuosic Horowitz transcription ofLiszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody #2 –- a piece Lang Lang always dreamed of playing himself ever since watching Tom perform it in a Tom and Jerry cartoon. Then we have some Mozart, some Schumann and some of Chopin’s Sonata #3 in B minor. He talks about his relationship to these works, misconceptions about Liszt and the difficulty in Mozartian control. Then he tells about almost quitting piano after being “fired” by his private teacher in Beijing. Thanks to a public school teacher’s insistence that he play, he got back in the saddle. He is excited to record the Sonata as his first major Chopin piece.
And finally, we have a long, long Master Class — starting with a lovely gift. He talks to the lucky six, amd the first two play some Mozart. Then number three has difficulty starting out, so Lang Lang gets right into phrasing and dynamics but without intimidating the young lady. In fact, she is quite relaxed and so is he — and they get quite a bit done. He even mocks her shoulder movements, but does it in such a good-natured way it doesn’t seem to put her off. Then back to number two, a very young boy of 6 or 7 years who does quite well. Then a brave youmg lady starts playing Beethoven’s Waldstein Sonata — and doesn’t get too far because Lang Lang has a lot of interpretive suggestions for her. I don’t have to see much more to tell that Lang Lang is very well-suited to this high calling, generously sharing his talent and valuable time with the next wave of promising young students. I salute him, the young pianists, and the parents who managed to raise not just good children, but future guardians of the Lisztian flame.
I would be remiss not to mention Lang Lang enjoys “Rock Star” status in China — and has for seeveral years. I’m not sure exactly how large of an impact the Lang Lang phenomenon will have on the future of classical music, but I don’t doubt it will be huge. Ask me again in 10 yearrs. Did I mention he has a fan site? Yes he does, and it’s beautiful and tasteful at first glance.
20100228 at 23:36 
Frederic RzewskiI suspect the microphone you see in front of Lisa isn’t turned on, as the voice part is barely audible.
Lisa Moore
Oscar Wilde
