passepied - claude debussy
Playing with light & shadow.
I'm getting better at dancing with the light. When I started my fascination of playing while manipulating light, I thought I would give myself a seizure. Entering and staying in character, I think of my hands as dancers. A pair of sunglasses helps in the blinding light.
Wide angle lens and two mirrors refraction. It’s 5:15 pm sunlight. (I manipulated the arpeture) It’s sauna steaming hot at the piano but I like the way these long sleeves look in the light. 🤷🏻♀️ Maybe I’ll record a better version when the weather cools off 🙃
I've listened to many versions of this piece and everyone plays it faster. The Passepied is a dance from the Baroque period. How can anyone dance at such speed? People wore big dresses back then with corsets, petticoats, and hoops! Having studied and performed as a dancer has enhanced my experience of music. I feel music differently. I breath and enjoy the transitions. I find places like ritardandos, in the music, a place to languish, tease, flirt. There's technique but dance enjoys more organic expression. Less metronome and more heartbeat. I imagine parts where if I was on stage, how would I move? How would I use my costume? Passepied makes me think of a certain pride that a courtier indulges when romanticizing pastoral life. A dance that is measured and restrained with a tinge of wildness.
The recording is far from perfect. But I enjoy the ohallenge that the piece demands. I like my students to see my process. Maybe I will post a better version down the road. How to stay serene in blinding light while wondering …. should I put on a bikini to be more comfortable? Do the mirrors need adjusting? Once the light bends a different way, the effect changes. These are the thoughts that bounce in my head while I work out the choreography of hands in the light. Plus wondering if I drank too much or too little coffee. Will this sound better with wine instead or winter weather? I can't turn on a fan or have the AC on. That would be an annoying background sound. I'm hot and I'm controlling my thoughts so that you don't watch angry moody hands.
Passepied is a fun piece. Now that its later in the day, I think I will play it for fun, no mirrors, and no camera to fuss with. If you want to hear a better version, come over 😬
JNET
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