legerdemain
Piano, electronics [8'].
Legerdemain, meaning ‘quickness of hand’, or ‘sleight of hand’, is the name of the set of techniques used by a magician, card sharp or street hustler to manipulate objects such as cards and coins secretly. The piece is akin to a musical cup and balls trick: three simple chords are permutated, shuffled and generally thrown around the piano in a what is a demonstration of pianistic dexterity. A soundtrack of sine wave impulses are bounced around the room as a resonance and reflection of the pianist’s actions. Legerdemain was originally composed for Tomoko Mukaiyama and first performed at the Felix Meritus, Amsterdam in 2005.
Performance below by Vittoria Quartararo:
Performance below by Reinier van Houdt:
performance history
- First performed by Tomoko Mukaiyama at Felix Meritus, Amsterdam, as part of the Gaudeamus Festival 2005, and in Tokyo 2006
- Subsequently performed by Reinier van Houdt at Huddersfield Festival 2007, and other venues in Holland, and recorded by him for Migros Records
- Saskia Lankhoorn performs Legerdemina in Korzo, Den Haag, October 2012