🎶 Mixing and Matching Piano Works for Your Recital Program Like a DJ Set?

19 Feb 2025 · 3 min

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This content was created by The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song. This content was uploaded by The Piano Pod with Yukimi Song. This is a YouTube video titled "🎶 Mixing and Matching Piano Works for Your Recital Program Like a DJ Set?" (created 2025-02-19 UTC). The excerpt is an English discussion between two speakers (labeled SPEAKER A and SPEAKER B) about creative programming and album/recital sequencing for pianists—advocating mix-and-match or DJ-style approaches, citing Yuja Wang as an example and referencing the project "Between the Keys." The content appears to be an interview or conversational segment focused on programming choices and contemporary presentation of classical piano repertoire.

Chapters

Now, for the sake of being different, can you do that by having to have a very interesting layout in the CD album, for example, like a combination of different composers that will make one album stand out, or more thoughtful way of programming?
Oh, well, actually, that's a really good solution because there are more and more pianists who are making CDs that are more like DJ sets where they're taking— they're mixing and matching pieces from all over the place. And I think that this is a very refreshing and interesting idea because a good example of this is Yuja Wong, because most of her solo releases mix and match repertoire in really interesting and provocative ways. She is not the one who's going to come out and record all the Chopin nocturnes, but she may record one or two nocturnes in conjunction with a Ligeti etude or Philip Glass etude, and then another piece that you may think has nothing to do with it, but actually the program trajectory really works quite well. And she's done this both on record and in concert, and it's an interesting concept. And I think that this kind of thing can be very healthy as long as it's not gimmicky. If it's about the gimmick in and of itself, then there can be problems. But I think that this is one way how contemporary culture, like DJ culture, where you're mixing and matching things and making playlists, is having a positive impact. And, uh, I think Well, I think, I think in terms of programming and coming up with unusual yet provocative and artistically valid ways of presenting the music, because if this is a good way to introduce the repertoire to listeners or performers, then it gets them into the music. And then, you know, there are pianists who do want to put out an all-Schumann recital or do a cycle of pieces, and that's certainly very valid, but I think there's so many other ways of doing it. And in a way, I think these mix-and-match playlists parallel what I tried to do with Between the Keys.