Wednesday, March 2

Piano Illuminato + Qatsi Trilogy

   1. Piano Illuminato

   Last week I went to see and hear "Piano Illuminato", an audio-visual 
   concert featuring Adelaide-based pianist and composer, Rich Batsford:
     <http://www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/whats-on/event/piano-illuminato>
   "... a unique fusion of live music and dynamic, visual art exploring 
   themes of peace, love, truth and beauty with take the stage on Thursday 
   25 February. In collaboration with Zero, one of Illuminart's animators & 
   visual artists 'Piano Illuminato' is a one off audio/visual experience 
   featuring performances of original music along with selections of the 
   wonderfully melodic music of perhaps the world's most famous pianist 
   composer, Ludovico Einaudi."

   The obvious attraction for me was the opportunity to listen to Einaudi's 
   music, albeit performed by someone else. As it turned out, only three of 
   the fifteen pieces played were Einaudi compositions, with the rest being 
   original instrumental pieces written by the performer. Fortunately, I 
   enjoyed those minimalist and jazz pieces as well. After the show I 
   bought a copy of one of Batsford's CDs, "Valentine Court".

   The other drawcard was the visual component. Images were projected 
   behind the pianist onto the back wall of the room, pre-programmed by a 
   member of Illuminart. This is the team responsible for lighting up the 
   faces of various buildings on North Terrace during the Adelaide Fringe:
     <https://www.adelaidefringe.com.au/news/fringe-illuminations>

   The imagery and lighting complemented the music quite well. This 
   included kaleidoscopic elements, oversaturated photography, plus other 
   pictures and effects in keeping with the themes and mood of the music.

   2. Qatsi Trilogy

   The combination of images with the minimalist style of the music in 
   "Piano Illuminato" reminded me at times of the experimental documentary 
   films of Godfrey Reggio, in particular, the "Qatsi" trilogy, which all 
   featured soundtracks composed by Philip Glass.
     <http://www.qatsi.org/films/film.php>

   Here's a selection of iconic clips from those documentaries:
   * Koyaanisqatsi: The Grid (Part 3)
     <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwPDFeXEMs4>
   * Koyaanisqatsi: Finale
     <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJrtROuQFfk>
   * Powaqqatsi: Video Dream
     <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbK9U0jFDJI>
   * Naqoyqatsi: Opening
     <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgM46I-ZryM>
   * Naqoyqatsi: New World
     <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PalrLLffceI>