Composed in
1989
For
Piano Solo
Duration
16′
First performance
September 19, 1990 at the Brussels Conservatory (B) by Jan MICHIELS.
Publisher
Donemus
Luc on “Pyramids in Siberia” :
This piece was commissioned by the “Rencontres Internationales de Musique Contemporaine” in Metz, after I won their composition competition in 1988 with my “Second Symphony”. A partial premiere was played by Gérard Frémy during the Festival in 1989. The Belgian genius pianist Jan Michiels gave the complete première of the work a year later.
The title is a little strange, but the music reflects it in a way. The form is entirely based on the Golden Section, and the duration of every part is based on it. There are three “main sections” (the three “Pyramids”) which increase both in length and in tempo, the first being a kind of meditation on the note b (natural), the second a scene on quite complex chords with some outbursts and the last one being a kind of toccata with many notes in a breathtaking tempo which lasts for about 4 minutes. The introduction, interludes and postlude are very static and based on natural harmonics on the piano by playing sharp bass notes while other keys are depressed silently, if one likes it’s the “Siberia” from the title.
The intention was to compose a spectral piano work without using any special playing techniques, so everything is played in the normal way on the keyboard. Because I encountered quite some problems with the third pedal on most pianos I wrote the work in such a way that the piece is to be performed without it.
Luc Brewaeys