Here’s a preview of a piece I’m working on — this is the march that opens Chopin’s Fantasty. The whole piece is quite an epic (about 14 minutes), and rather difficult, so I’m not going to be posting the whole thing in the near future.

This opening, however, is neither so long nor so difficult, and so I’m posting a rough version of it as a little appetizer. It almost stands as a little piece on its own, but right where I stop in this recording, instead of winding to a close, the music takes off full throttle.

Frédéric Chopin
Fantasy in F minor (introduction)

Download (3:18 / 3.8 M)

In the future, the whole thing!

Here’s a little composition from my tender youth. I remember that I was a little befuddled at the time about how to write down the rhythms! This piece thus lived only in my head for a long time, yet I still remember it quite clearly. It will be obvious why when you hear it — it’s kind of catchy.

Paul Cantrell
The Walking Concert

Download (0:59 / 1.2 M)

Hearing this again makes me smile. Perhaps it’s just pleasant memories of sixth grade (which was a happy year for me), but I hope that the tune is enjoyable for you even without the personal associations!

I’m on the road now, visiting my brother and many old friends on the East Coast: New Haven, NYC, upstate NY, New Brunswick, Philly, DC! I prepared a few simple recordings before I left, but they’re not enough to support the whole three weeks of my trip. So I’ll be posting only Tuesdays until Dec 11.

In college, I won an award from the Math/CS department for being the most outstanding procrastinator of my senior class. I don’t think it’s exactly fair to say that I procrastinate, though; I’m just perpetually late. My life is like a finely tuned Swiss watch that’s set to the wrong time.

So I finally got around to putting The Monster from Keys Please! up on the site. To celebrate the occasion, here’s the opening number in its original, bare, single-piano form:

Paul Cantrell
The Monster’s Theme

Download (1:06 / 1.3 M)

Compare that with the full-on decked-out two-pianos-with-Todd-belting-it-out-in-his-monster-voice version from the concert!

I should mention that, if you’re one of these retro folks who likes physical media with high-quality sound and high-resolution artwork, you can buy the CD of the concert. This will also be of interest to those of you who like to support independent artists!

And, in keeping with the “always behind but never idle” theme of this post, I’ve revamped my music home page as I’ve been meaning to do for the last six months. New! Improved! Bright, not just white!

Here’s a little gem of a piece that my dear friend Todd Harper (of Keys Please fame) gave me as a present for my 25th birthday. Naturally this charmed my socks off. So tonight, with my socks back on (no shoes, though, as usual at the piano), I recorded it to share with you. He has it marked “really quiet,” with “really” underlined twice, so in addition to playing it that way, I kept this recording mastered a bit low.

Todd Harper
Thoughts at 4 AM

Download (1:30 / 1.8 M)

What? Oh, yes, of course I recorded it at 4 AM! Well, actually it was more like ten after, but I think that still counts in the poetic sense we’re talking about here.

…nor have aliens taken me to a distant world where they keep me in a cage for the amusement of their unwashed masses. No, the reasons for the blog silence are much more mundane: the combination of lots of election volunteering and having all five of my wisdom teeth out hasn’t left me in great shape for posting new recordings. (Yes, five wisdom teeth. I am a mutant.) But fear not! I’ll be back in the saddle soon. And if I return the piano slightly less wise, I will at least now have the life experience of tooth extraction to draw upon in my music — an experience which I assure you is as fascinating as it is disgusting.