44 Pianos: Experimental Piano Music by Jonathan Crayford

New Zealand musician Jonathan Crayford combined the sounds of 44 pianos to create his most recent project. He explains on his official page:

“44 Pianos was a filmed and recorded performance project that was the product of being in a piano store that contained a very large number of pianos, which later I counted at 44. I was intrigued if they could all be successfully played at the same time by a range of pianists from all walks of the musical spectrum.”

Fortunately, Crayford was able to gather all the pianists he needed. Listen to the compositions after the jump:

1. piano dawn chorus
2. big earth chord
3. one note
4. ascending and descending
5. sustain
6. what you do at home
7. solos (what they did)
8. final piece

Some of the descriptions are hilarious. “Big Earth Chord” was inspired by a man Crayford met in New York, who claimed to know someone who could hear the note the earth spun at. Which note? E flat. For explanations of the other songs, as well as photos and forthcoming video footage of the pianists, go to the 44 Pianos website.

[the music of sound]