20|21: Perception
May 2018
Deptford APT Gallery
2021 Concert Series: an experimental cross-arts event on the theme of Perception.
"I AM" for Speaking and Acting Pianist Music by Rotem Sheman, performed by Mahsa Salali. "This piece was inspired by conversations I have had with the pianist Mahsa Salali. In our conversations, I was introduced to Mahsa's unusual life story and her extraordinary journey with the piano: Born and raised in Iran, Mahsa moved to the UK when she was 17, and started playing the piano at the age of 21, after completing her studies in Mathematics and Physics. We also discussed the culture of classical music and the conservative attitude of our today’s society towards classical performance, in particular the act of piano performance. We used this opportunity to create a piece that challenges and explores the artistic aspects of that act. After long contemplations, we chose a text based on fragments taken from Alain Brémond-Torrent's book "running is flying intermittently" (2017). Alain is a French musician and a writer. In his book/diary he writes about his everyday life stories of living as an artist in London. The chosen fragments were then edited and adjusted to the piece in collaboration with the author. The score, therefore, is an invitation for Mahsa (or any other pianist) to perform it freely as she wishes, according to her own interpretation and understanding of the piece." Rotem |
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