"A perfect hour in a parallel universe"...
"Special & poignant"... "So eclectic and engaging, great concert"
"An important contribution to the musical life of the area.' [Robert Fripp]
A monthly feast of soul-food since Sept 2017,
'Pianoscapes' continues to unite wide-ranging repertoire with music-hungry listeners.
"Great concert on Sunday, moved to tears... can't remember when that happened before!"
"The hour of relaxation and beautiful music was so lovely on Sunday that I had my best night's sleep in months"
"These concerts are beautiful, and a real education... do go along if you can."
"I just wanted to thank you for such an uplifting and enjoyable event. I hadn't appreciated just how much I have missed hearing music performed live. It has nourished my soul!"
'Pianoscapes' continues to unite wide-ranging repertoire with music-hungry listeners.
"Great concert on Sunday, moved to tears... can't remember when that happened before!"
"The hour of relaxation and beautiful music was so lovely on Sunday that I had my best night's sleep in months"
"These concerts are beautiful, and a real education... do go along if you can."
"I just wanted to thank you for such an uplifting and enjoyable event. I hadn't appreciated just how much I have missed hearing music performed live. It has nourished my soul!"
A 'Pianoscapes' concert is a 60-minute sonic odyssey taking in an eclectic mix of music from across the centuries, with a healthy disregard for genre boundaries. Using piano, synths, loops, oracle cards, tea & cake, every concert programme is different: a carefully-constructed sequence of music designed to transport the listener to a higher plane.
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Pianoscapes in 2025 / 26
November 16 / December 14
January 25 / February 22
March 22 / April 19
Artwork by Paula Evans
Review of Pianoscapes 75 (23 March 2025) by Hannah Webb Music
On Sunday 23rd March, I made my way to sleepy old Pershore for Pianoscapes #75; a concert series put on by the wonderfully creative Chris Long not really knowing what to expect; but wow, was I in for a treat.
The venue, St Andrews Centre opposite the majestic Pershore Abbey, is a quaint and cosy little gem just perfect for this kind of set up, somehow nostalgic for me. I was greeted warmly by Chris's other half Paula with some of the best Victoria Sponge I have been lucky enough to eat and a cup of coffee to settle me in to this already inviting atmosphere.
The lights were dimmed, and the music began...
Chris begun with an eerie and almost ethereal improvisation performance on harmonium, an underutilised instrument in my humble opinion, which immediately had me (and clearly the room) transfixed and excited for what was to come. This particular introductory piece immediately evoked the emotions...
As he transitioned to piano for 'Pavane Pour Une Infante' by Maurice Ravel, it was clear that this was going to be a wildly eclectic yet somehow completely sensical set. Crafting a programme for a concert is really part of the art, like tricky little building blocks or a game of tetris.
What's clear in Chris's performance is that he wishes you to be transported and enveloped by the sounds, to wherever is comfortable, wherever is safe. He plays with passion, immersion, and a completely secure understanding of the shapes and dynamics of the music.
To be honest I was plugged straight in from the first note of the harmonium and remained so for the duration. We floated through some more original compositions of Chris's from 'Downstairs at Mickeys' (available on his bandcamp, link below) and I was guided further into bliss with the gorgeous and lilting tones of Chris's rendition of 'Joga' by Bjork to effortlessly close the first half.
Scattered in the rest of the programme were pieces from the likes of Ellington, Mussorgsky/Emerson Lake & Palmer, as well as Keith Jarett and the venerable J.S. Bach, showcasing huge versatility, true musicality, and unique structures that kept me guessing what was next. This was a real journey, a sound bath if you will.
The next Pianoscapes is 27th April at St Andrews Centre in Pershore; coffee, cake, warmth and an exciting programme are certainly on the cards, if you need something wholesome and rejuvinating for your Sunday afternoon, this is it.
Thanks so much, Chris. Look forward to the next one.
The venue, St Andrews Centre opposite the majestic Pershore Abbey, is a quaint and cosy little gem just perfect for this kind of set up, somehow nostalgic for me. I was greeted warmly by Chris's other half Paula with some of the best Victoria Sponge I have been lucky enough to eat and a cup of coffee to settle me in to this already inviting atmosphere.
The lights were dimmed, and the music began...
Chris begun with an eerie and almost ethereal improvisation performance on harmonium, an underutilised instrument in my humble opinion, which immediately had me (and clearly the room) transfixed and excited for what was to come. This particular introductory piece immediately evoked the emotions...
As he transitioned to piano for 'Pavane Pour Une Infante' by Maurice Ravel, it was clear that this was going to be a wildly eclectic yet somehow completely sensical set. Crafting a programme for a concert is really part of the art, like tricky little building blocks or a game of tetris.
What's clear in Chris's performance is that he wishes you to be transported and enveloped by the sounds, to wherever is comfortable, wherever is safe. He plays with passion, immersion, and a completely secure understanding of the shapes and dynamics of the music.
To be honest I was plugged straight in from the first note of the harmonium and remained so for the duration. We floated through some more original compositions of Chris's from 'Downstairs at Mickeys' (available on his bandcamp, link below) and I was guided further into bliss with the gorgeous and lilting tones of Chris's rendition of 'Joga' by Bjork to effortlessly close the first half.
Scattered in the rest of the programme were pieces from the likes of Ellington, Mussorgsky/Emerson Lake & Palmer, as well as Keith Jarett and the venerable J.S. Bach, showcasing huge versatility, true musicality, and unique structures that kept me guessing what was next. This was a real journey, a sound bath if you will.
The next Pianoscapes is 27th April at St Andrews Centre in Pershore; coffee, cake, warmth and an exciting programme are certainly on the cards, if you need something wholesome and rejuvinating for your Sunday afternoon, this is it.
Thanks so much, Chris. Look forward to the next one.
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Pianoscapes #54
Sunday 29th January 2023
Admission: £10
For tickets: email [email protected]
For Pianoscapes 54, I'm working on - amongst other things - music by the Ukrainian composer Vsevolod Zaderatsky - in particular, the Am prelude from his '24 Preludes and Fugues' written in 1937/38.
The story is fascinating...
A more detailed account can be read here (click on this link) - mountdela.com/vsevolod-zaderatsky-24-preludes-fugues-piano/
Other Pianoscapes dates in spring / summer 2023 -
March 26, April 23rd, May 21st, July 16th
The recent(ish) past -
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10th August -
The score for 'Patterns of Plants', on order from Japan since the end of May, has arrived a few hours ago - just in time! as we're off to Ireland in 2 days time. It will come with me and be on the music stand as we tour the West Coast... This, alongside other Japanese-inspired music (by Peter Sculthorpe), and music for early instruments... Jarrett's 'Book of Ways' (more of my transcriptions), and Beethoven's 'Pathetique' - I've been playing this since I was in my teens but the time has finally come to work on it properly. I'm particularly intrigued by the fact that it was composed for either harpsichord or fortepiano - to hear it on the former and to think of it as straddling the late Baroque and early Romantic period in that way (it first appeared in 1799) is a revelation. This will inform my learning and interpretation of the music. Pianoscapes 50 will also feature some Irish music, of course - perhaps my 1989 version of the trad tune 'The Burren', as recorded here - |
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O l d e r N e w s -
In April's concert I'll be playing Books 3 & 4 of Mompou's 'Musica Callada' (having played Books 1 & 2 in February's concert).
This rarely performed work is music of great beauty and mystery. Rejecting the complexity and modernist approaches of his contemporaries, Mompou's final work was his 'magnum opus' - this 'music of silence' - transparent, hypnotic, profound; drawing on the sound world of Debussy, Satie, Scriabin and his own sonic palette of bell-sounds, folk melody and strange abstractions.
This rarely performed work is music of great beauty and mystery. Rejecting the complexity and modernist approaches of his contemporaries, Mompou's final work was his 'magnum opus' - this 'music of silence' - transparent, hypnotic, profound; drawing on the sound world of Debussy, Satie, Scriabin and his own sonic palette of bell-sounds, folk melody and strange abstractions.
In addition to the music of Mompou I'll be playing works that complement the contemplative nature of this music - 'To sober and quiet the mind', as John Cage wrote. The February programme included my own compositions, a prelude by Scriabin,
and improvisations realised through Indian raga and electronics...
Unlike other pianoscapes concerts, I won't be speaking this time! - the experience will be a purely musical one in which to immerse yourself.
You can familiarise yourself with Musica Callada by listening to James Rushford's performance here -
unseenworlds.bandcamp.com/album/m-sica-callada-see-the-welter
I recommend experiencing the 28 pieces in 4 listening sessions, as they were intended when written:
Book 1: I - IX
Book 2: X - XVI
Book 3: XVII - XXI
Book 4: XXII - XXVIII
and improvisations realised through Indian raga and electronics...
Unlike other pianoscapes concerts, I won't be speaking this time! - the experience will be a purely musical one in which to immerse yourself.
You can familiarise yourself with Musica Callada by listening to James Rushford's performance here -
unseenworlds.bandcamp.com/album/m-sica-callada-see-the-welter
I recommend experiencing the 28 pieces in 4 listening sessions, as they were intended when written:
Book 1: I - IX
Book 2: X - XVI
Book 3: XVII - XXI
Book 4: XXII - XXVIII
For updates & reflections on the process of learning & playing this music,
see the Blog page on this website.
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"Thanks for the recital once again…I was beginning to get withdrawal symptoms!" "I can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon..." |
Across the first 10 Pianoscapes concerts (Sept '17 to Dec '18) -
Music by - Beethoven, Chris Long, Nils Frahm, Edvard Grieg, Keith Jarrett, Chilly Gonzales, John Cage, Sergei Rachmaninov, Johannes Brahms, Percy Grainger, Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Anne Southam, Debussy, Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Alexander Grenville, Frederick Chopin, Amaral Vieira, Claude Debussy, Arvo Part, Jessica Williams, Meredith Monk, Peteris Vask, Franz Schubert, Bob Marley, Keith Emerson, Federico Mompou, The Bad Plus, Damon Albarn, JS Bach, Philip Glass, Howard Skempton, Graham Fitkin, Modest Mussorgsky, JP Rameau, Bill Evans, Jimmy Webb, Igor Stravinsky, Meade Lux Lewis, Kate Bush, Franz Liszt, Ola Gjeilo, Felix Mendelssohn, John Tavener, GI Gurdjieff, Frank Zappa, Karen Tanaka, Olivier Messiaen, Dr John, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Antonio Vivaldi, Domenico Scarlatti, William Byrd...
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warming up before Pianoscapes 2... back in 2017
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At Elsmlie House, March 2019 -
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"Chris Long's ethereal programme of music left me feeling as light as a feather, and I floated away..."
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'As good as having a week-long beach holiday at a spa resort' |
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