Cosmographia_for solo piano

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Vasileios Filippou ! !

Cosmographia For solo piano

2013 ! ! !

‘Cosmographia’! ! !

Vasileios!Filippou! ! ! !

1. Aurora!≈!4‘20‘’!min.! !

2. Irregular!Galaxy!≈!2‘15‘’!min.! !

3. Solar!Flare!≈!15‘’!min.! !

4. Dying!Star!≈!1‘25‘’!min.!! ! ! !

Total!duration!≈!8‘15‘’!min.! !

For!further!information!on!the!performance!of!the!piece,!please! contact!me!at!my!email!~!vassilis.ph@gmail.com! ! ! !

Programme!notes:!!!!!

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This!set!of!piano!pieces!entitled!‘Cosmographia’,!is!an!imaginary! representation!of!natural!phenomena!happening!in!the!extraordinary!world!of! the!outer!space.!All!four!movements!share!the!same!atmosphere!but!with! different!approaches!of!sound.!!! ! !

1. Aurora( (

This!first!movement!of!the!piece!is!based!on!a!single!cyclic!harmonic!progression! which!is!the!main!tool!for!‘translating’!the!aurora’s!light!display!in!the!two! sections,!Sparkling!and!Cyclic!–!Endless.!After!the!energeticCrhythmical!first! section,!the!slow!and!repeated!progression!enables!the!imagination!of!the! listener!to!create!sound!cycles!that!keep!growing!and!overlapping!with!each! other.!! !

2. Irregular(Galaxy( Inspired!by!Shooting!Stars,!a!piano!piece!by!Paul!Ruders,!this!movement’s!main! feature!is!irregularity!which!is!created!with!the!combination!of!three!different! rhythmic!ideas!and!also!with!the!use!of!the!sustained!pedal.!It!is!a!challenge!for! the!listener!to!recognise!these!patterns!that!happen!at!the!same!time!while!the! harmony!has!its!own!direction.!Irregular!Galaxy!can!be!used!as!a!rhythm!and! balanceCvoicing!exercise,!since!it!includes!all!ten!fingers!to!present!the!multiC rhythmical!pattern.! !

3. Solar(Flare( This!short!movement!includes!three!sounds!that!represent!the!sun’s! phenomenon!of!solar!flare,!in!which!a!sudden!brightening!is!followed!by!a!huge! ejection!of!energy!from!the!sun’s!surface.!! !

4. Dying(Star( This!last!movement!of!Cosmographia,!symbolizes!the!death!of!a!star!which! gradually!loses!energy!until!its!total!disappearance!from!the!world.!Its!free!pulse! and!the!way!that!the!piano’s!extreme!range!with!the!harmonic!shifting!is!used,! creates!a!range!of!sound!colors!and!also!gives!the!performer!freedom!in! interpretation.!!!!!!!

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Glossary!of!Symbols:! !

Keep!the!pedal!held!down!from!the! previous!movement.! ! !

Damp!the!given!strings!with!your!right! hand!on!the!11th!partial!to!produce!the! harmonics!given!as!diamondCheaded! pitches.!Play!the!normalCheaded!pitches! with!your!left!hand’s!palm!on!the!keys.! ! !

Damp!the!strings,!given!as!crossCheaded! pitches!exactly!in!front!of!the!hammers! with!your!one!hand!and!with!your!other! hand!hit!those!strings!approximately!on! their!halfClength!point.!! !!!!!!!!!!!! !

Use!a!plastic!card!and!make!a! glissando!and!tremolo!at!the!same! time!on!the!strings!given.! ! !