Episode 92 — March 5, 2021
György Ligeti: “Études Book III No. 15: White on White” for piano
Performed by Taka KigawaPianist Taka Kigawa has found himself playing Gyorgy Ligeti’s Etudes since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic about one year ago. They’re pieces he’s been playing for a long time—he’s even performed them in many different cities—but during the pandemic, he’s turned to playing one of the etudes every day. Performing one for the House Music series was a natural decision; here, he performs Ligeti’s White on White etude.
Kigawa has been working with Metropolis Ensemble since February 2010, when he collaborated with the group for a Haiti earthquake release concert titled Love Letter to Haiti. While the event was more than a decade ago, Kigawa remembers it in great detail and with great fondness. Metropolis’s call to join the performance came near to its date, but Kigawa jumped at the possibility of collaborating with the group without a second thought. He played a couple solo works by Claude Debussy as well as a few pieces with the ensemble. He remembers the evening for the fine quality of musicians and their passion to support both each other and a good cause. Since, he’s become a regular collaborator of Metropolis.
Kigawa recorded this House Music series video on a snowy day in February. He remembers how the snow sparkled, covering the whole city in a blanket of white. That white-out vision inspired the making of this video. It also inspired him to choose to perform White on White, which feels like an extension of the day he was experiencing at the time.
Notes by Vanessa Ague
House Music: Bite-sized concerts recorded at homes around the world
In 2020-21, we created a weekly video series featuring short-form concerts of newly-commissioned works, supporting 208 artists around the world during the pandemic.