Commissioned by the Piano Teachers Congress of New York for the 20th/21st Century Piano Festival
Winner of the PTC Commission Prize
2nd Place 2018 AGBU Sayat Nova Composition Competition
Performed by the amazing Ben Wien at Concordia Conservatory in Bronxville, New York in March 2020. Ben was due to perform this piece in his Carnegie Hall debut recital as the winner of the PTC competition 2020
Tuphānī Rakasa
Program Note
The title of this piece is Punjabi, and can roughly be translated as “fast-flowing dance”. The traditional music of the Punjab features the distinctive cross-rhythmic 2:3 bhangra pattern, and creates complex syncopations with the two differently tuned heads of the dhol drum. Much of the traditional music of this region is extremely loud, energetic and rhythmical. In writing this piece I have attempted to capture some of the boundless energy of the bhangra dhol and harness it to my own jazz-flavoured harmonic structures.
The piece basically falls into 3 sections, with the outer sections louder and more rhythmically varied, and the inner section quieter, more lyrical and flowing. As the inner section progresses, it becomes apparent to the listener that what they are hearing is actually directly derived from the opening material, and is then, in fact, combined with it.
