PINK FLOYD CLASSICAL CONCEPT
Pink Floyd Classical Concept
Pink Floyd Classical Concept
AyseDeniz Interview with Classic FM's John Brunning on Pink Floyd and Liszt
MILANO - HIGH HOPES (Pink Floyd) - AYSEDENIZ
Pink Floyd Lisztified: i) Hey You - AyseDeniz Live in ARGENTINA
ALBUM
This album initially started with my arrangements of three Pink Floyd songs, written in the form of a fantasia (Pink Floyd 'Lisztified': Fantasia Quasi Sonata) to celebrate Franz Liszt’s 200th anniversary. They were inspired by his legacy, his showmanship, his philosophical ideas as well as art and literature that influenced his works. Unlike other 'covers', my arrangements evolved out of the original songs and took their own shape, making the project an 'osmosis' of Pink Floyd’s and Franz Liszt’s music.
While these three songs (Hey You, Wish You Were Here, and Another Brick in the Wall) were the seeds of this concept album, the new arrangements have developed quite differently. They are a further departure from the “Pink Floyd 'Lisztified': Fantasia Quasi Sonata” in the sense that they are more daring and experimental.
The main driving force behind these arrangements was Liszt’s vision of viewing the piano as an orchestra, which tempted me to explore different sounds, to imitate rock instruments and to create new harmonies by manipulating the existing ones. I also was inspired by other composers including Chopin, Bach, Debussy and Corigliano while working on these.
The tracks are to be listened to from the beginning to the end without a break, just like Pink Floyd’s concept albums and Liszt’s symphonic poems. They are about the journey of the protagonist, represented by the piano, who goes through different stages in life facing a range of internal struggles (nostalgia, love, alienation, identity search) and witnessing world problems (war, politics, consumerism, faulty education system).
The sound designs play a great role in portraying these stages and creating a parallel world where the juxtaposition of these effects with the acoustic piano sound is to serve as the symbol of interaction between polar opposites in life that balance each other: reality vs. fiction, natural vs. industrial, past vs. future. The sounds are made by tweaking, stretching and playing the recorded piano tracks backwards, and then adding layers of digital instruments on top of them.
All of the new songs were chosen by Pink Floyd fans around the world who contacted me on my Facebook Page after hearing about my Pink Floyd 'Lisztified': Fantasia Quasi Sonata. It was an interactive project, and having so much support from so many people was definitely my biggest encouragement. Thank you!
- AyseDeniz Gokcin
CONCERT
Pink Floyd Classical Concept premiered in Argentina in December 2013.
It is a solo classical piano concert with atmospheric sound effects by Kevin Bryce, made from the actual recordings of the piano manipulated by the computer.
AyseDeniz's classical arrangements of the 10 Pink Floyd songs chosen by her fans online and made into a full album are mostly inspired by Franz Liszt. Her tribute fantasy "Pink Floyd Lisztified: Fantasia Quasi Sonata" includes the group's most well known songs: Hey You, Wish You Were Here and Another Brick in the Wall.
Some of the other tracks from the album are inspired by Bach, Tchaikovsky and Chopin and include small hints to their musical motives.
The show has toured the world including Ecuador, Portugal, Italy, Turkey, UK and Bulgaria.
TRACKS
I - WELCOME TO THE MACHINE (WATERS)
II - SET THE CONTROLS FOR THE HEART OF THE SUN (WATERS)
III - HEY YOU 'LISZTIFIED' (WATERS)
IV - WISH YOU WERE HERE 'LISZTIFIED' (GILMOUR, WATERS)
V - ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL 'LISZTIFIED' (WATERS)
VI - US AND THEM (WRIGHT, WATERS)
VII - COMFORTABLY NUMB (GILMOUR, WATERS)
VIII - ON THE TURNING AWAY/CHOPIN (GILMOUR, MOORE, CHOPIN)
IX - SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND (GILMOUR, WATERS, WRIGHT)
X - HIGH HOPES (GILMOUR)
REVIEWS
The social platform Brain Damage reviewed the UK premiere of AyseDeniz’s Pink Floyd Classical Concept in the London church St James’s Sussex Gardens. The evening in the packed venue was characterised by a varied audience, ranging from classical music enthusiasts, possibly exposed to the music of Pink Floyd for the first time, to Pink Floyd fans, who were able to enjoy some dramatically different interpretations to what they are accustomed to.
They praised AyseDeniz’s performance for bringing innovation and originality to the classical world by at times reaching into the grand piano to pluck strings or create unusual effects by using a broken record or a wooden spoon. All the elements added up to a hugely successful performance in a wonderfully atmospheric venue- the high ceilings, pillars and pews all gave the music a resonance and mood to make for a memorable evening.
Classic FM describes AyseDeniz’s Lisztian rendition of the works of Pink Floyd as a “sensation” and an “unlikely hit.” BBC highlights the overwhelming support AyseDeniz has received from musicians and fans from around the world- “and none other than Pink Floyd itself.”
Poche Storie reviewed AyseDeniz’s concert on the main stage of GAM Pianocity, defining the performance an enchanting experience that gifted the audience with completely new versions of the Pink Floyd classic repertoire. The Italian newspaper praised AyseDeniz’s use of tools such as wooden spoons and broken vinyl disks to create unique sounds and make the tracks recognizable despite their reinterpretation.