Notes on life, art, photography and technology, by a Danish dropout bohemian.
When you drink the water, remember the river.
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Friday, April 17, 2009
Yuja Wang plays the Flight of the Bumble-Bee
I'm not sure if this is art or sports, but it's pretty amazing.
Update: some speculate that this is speeded up in video. But I don't think so. She makes the same performance within a long "YouTube Symphony" show (about 19 minutes in).
Sorry, Eolake, but as a semi-professional musician myself, I'm 99.5% sure this video is artificially accelerated. The actual performance wasn't this fast.
Still, the piece is quite difficult to play on pretty much any instrument, even at normal speed (which would be about 60-70 bpm slower than this... 25% or so).
Yes, the performance was accelerated, just the opposite of the 1969 Moon landing footage. And also - a few of the camera shots are from mid-chest upward, and I fail to see how that's possible, since the piano is in the way.
It's the real thing, alright. It may look suspicious because at times the hands move faster than the video refresh rate.
About performances using the electric guitar ... The most famous bumble-bee player must be Jennifer Batten, also known for her live work with Michael. She became famous for the bumble-bee because I think she was the first, and also because she recorded the piece in the 1980s.
The most spectacular performance I have seen is this. In the video, the guy plays the piece six times in 170, 230, 260, 280, 300 and 320 bpm. As a guitar player myself, it boggles my mind how anyone could pick that fast. Granted, it's a lot of chromatic runs with good economy in hand movement. But still.
Jennifer Batten says in one interview that anyone who goes through the "initiation rite" of learning to play the bumble-bee will discover, after having worked the piece approx. 1/3 through, that it is easier to learn and play than what it sounds like.
handsome b. wonderful: no way! This is Russian music and although I give Al Hirt's trumpet version very high rank this rendition is unknown in Russia at all. And in Russia some Bayan version would be if not the most popular but best known. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuDpQBwGMr0
Handsome may be American, and for us it works like this: If it's the most popular, most known version in the U.S. then that means the world. Doesn't it? ;-)
Sport, no doubt. But at those hights there is no difference.
ReplyDeleteRussian guitarist Zinchuk plays the same melody in 24 seconds making 20 notes per second. Sounds ugly but he's got his Guinness record!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_OFcUXh9P4
Sorry, Eolake, but as a semi-professional musician myself, I'm 99.5% sure this video is artificially accelerated. The actual performance wasn't this fast.
ReplyDeleteStill, the piece is quite difficult to play on pretty much any instrument, even at normal speed (which would be about 60-70 bpm slower than this... 25% or so).
*shrug* I see no reason why it can't be both. But I agree, it's pretty cool whatever you decide to call it.
ReplyDeleteYes, the performance was accelerated, just the opposite of the 1969 Moon landing footage. And also - a few of the camera shots are from mid-chest upward, and I fail to see how that's possible, since the piano is in the way.
ReplyDeletePost updated.
ReplyDeleteIt's the real thing, alright. It may look suspicious because at times the hands move faster than the video refresh rate.
ReplyDeleteAbout performances using the electric guitar ... The most famous bumble-bee player must be Jennifer Batten, also known for her live work with Michael. She became famous for the bumble-bee because I think she was the first, and also because she recorded the piece in the 1980s.
The most spectacular performance I have seen is this. In the video, the guy plays the piece six times in 170, 230, 260, 280, 300 and 320 bpm. As a guitar player myself, it boggles my mind how anyone could pick that fast. Granted, it's a lot of chromatic runs with good economy in hand movement. But still.
Jennifer Batten says in one interview that anyone who goes through the "initiation rite" of learning to play the bumble-bee will discover, after having worked the piece approx. 1/3 through, that it is easier to learn and play than what it sounds like.
Flight of the Bumblbee was used as the Green Hornet theme, and I think Al Hirt's trumpet version is probably the most famous.
ReplyDeletehandsome b. wonderful: no way! This is Russian music and although I give Al Hirt's trumpet version very high rank this rendition is unknown in Russia at all. And in Russia some Bayan version would be if not the most popular but best known.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuDpQBwGMr0
Handsome may be American, and for us it works like this: If it's the most popular, most known version in the U.S. then that means the world. Doesn't it? ;-)
ReplyDelete