Piano Sonata (1939-41). Aaron Copland /short playing videos/

It's like we're back to the era of 45s or 78s before LPs with short playing music (YouTube video files are limited to 100 Mb). Here's the first movement of Copland's Piano Sonata played by Mario Ajero (who has a piano podcast here).

Mario also has a video describing how to play Clocks by Coldplay; I enjoy this purely for pedagogical reasons, of course. And The Standing Room highlights the Chinese group Twelve Girls Band, who play Coldplay covers on an erhu.

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Mario in the comments points out the Piano Sonata is in Copland's "rugged modernist" style; I've been so immersed in this stuff lately I forgot it may sound unusual to those expecting say, Billy the Kid.

And this quote just in from Chris Martin of Coldplay: When I’m 40, and too old to be a rock star, I plan to go back to college to study classical music.

Comments

[Mario Ajero]

Hi Robert,

Thanks for featuring my video on your blog! The Piano Sonata by Copland isn't your typical "Copland-sounding" piece, but it displays a bit of a more rugged modernist style that many people might not be aware that he was capable of composing in.

Best wishes,
mario