Never Gonna Gifugue Up 🕺🎤 - A 4 voice fugue, but you got rickrolled Josep Castanyer Alonso 2024-01-27 | 🎹 Sheet music transcription: payhip.com/b/JKcSCFollowing the fun of "Barbie Girl in the Style of 6 Classical Composers" last summer, the series of fugues based on annoying tunes was due for a sequel. This time, the contrapuntal throwback takes us to the '80s with Rick Astley’s hit “Never Gonna Give You Up”—famous in its day and even more popular thanks to Internet meme culture and the "rick-rolling" frenzy of the early 2000s. I've developed the irritatingly infectious short initial motive of the tune into a 4 voice fugue, showcasing the structure with motion graphics and light-hearted commentary. As for the animations, I have also been experimenting with new callout box styles with running parts of the score—I hope they enhance the visualisation of the music!Also, make sure to check out the behind-the-scenes video that Robin and Isak created for this production to get a glimpse of the creative process we went through: youtube.com/watch?v=_nzgTQ9JE3Y&feature=youtu.be&themeRefresh=1. Robin and Isak are currently working on a documentary about my life as a musician, which is part of a captivating series featuring some truly fascinating individuals as well as me. Stay tuned for the full documentary—it’s almost here!Enjoy the video. 😊
All I want for Christmas is you, but in the style of 6 classical composers 🎹🎄 Josep Castanyer Alonso 2024-11-08 | 🎶 Get Your Score Here: bit.ly/ChristmasScores 🎶 What better way to continue the series of parodies of pop songs in the styles of classical composers than this? This time, the chosen song is Mariah Carey’s classic "All I Want for Christmas Is You," which perfectly fits the season we are in. As a sequel to "Barbie Girl, but in the Style of 6 Classical Composers" (youtube.com/watch?v=WRfsibwR5x4), this video aims to be an educational showcase of six different masters of classical music while providing a humorous take on one of the most infamous earworms of the Christmas season.I've developed visualizations of the music structure through self-made animations and running text, which I hope will enhance your viewing experience. Additionally, I worked with some creative camera tricks and effects, such as the self-opening grand piano at the beginning (can you guess how it was filmed? 😉), as well as an extended AI setting that transforms the rehearsal room where the video was filmed into a liminal-like recording studio.I hope you enjoy this video and appreciate its parodic take, educational value, and musical composition!Merry Christmas,Josep Castanyer Alonso__________00:00 Intro00:12 Mozart00:51 Beethoven02:04 Brahms03:06 Tchaikovsky04:04 Rachmaninoff05:25 Bartók__________Filmed at Konserthuset in Stockholm on the 27th of October, 2024. The music composition, camerawork, and animations are my own. The composers' pictures are licensed under Creative Commons. A graphic from Vecteezy is used under a Free License in the Bartók section (link: bit.ly/3UMMGBs).#mariahcarey #defrosting #alliwantforchristmasisyou #loveactually #carey
A Chopin polonaise, but I play with my clone 👦🏻 👦🏻 Josep Castanyer Alonso 2024-09-05 | Frédéric Chopin Polonaise from Introduction and Polonaise brillante in C major, Op. 3 Cello and piano: Josep Castanyer Alonso_______After so many videos featuring me playing the piano, it was about time to showcase my main instrument—the cello. However, I needed a twist to stay true to the essence of my channel, which is all about presenting classical music in an unconventional way, using atypical video editing and cool graphics.What better twist than cloning myself through video editing to form an impossible duo with my pianist self?This video is the result of a two-year endeavor and is by far the most technically demanding project I’ve ever undertaken. From the complexity of the piano part to the challenges of synchronizing the filming of myself and the clone with a motorized crane, the production and post-production of this video required meticulous planning and took several months to complete.To create the most realistic imagery of these “impossible” shots with my clone, I invested early on in a programmable motorized crane, which allowed for some of the spectacular moving shots seen throughout the video. The highest level of precision was essential to achieve proper synchronization between the cello and piano parts. Robin Danehav and Isak Friberg (@storybydanehav) provided crucial support with their technical expertise, generously contributing their time during rehearsals of the filming process and an exhausting full day of shooting.My dearest sound engineer, Ingo Petry, made an incredible recording. Hearing my own playing in such high audio quality is truly breathtaking, and I can’t thank him enough for the time and effort he put into it.I personally learned a lot about video editing through this project and discovered various masking techniques (Mocha, rotoscoping, traditional masking, and different tracking methods). I’ll carry this knowledge into future videos. I also believe that learning this monster of a piece has helped improve my piano playing (and the cello part wasn’t easy either!).For those curious, the behind-the-strings shot is a nod to the legendary video of Emanuel Feuermann playing Popper’s "Spinning Song" (www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F9TDRKiixg). Can you guess how it was filmed? 😉Lastly, I want to thank The Association of Friends of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic for their financial support, which helped bring this video to life._______00:00 Video intro00:13 A 02:19 B 04:28 A 05:05 Coda05:55 Video outro
Im a Barbie girl again, but in the style of 6 classical composers 🎹 🎤 - Josep Castanyer Alonso Josep Castanyer Alonso 2023-07-20 | 🎹 Sheet music transcription: payhip.com/b/oaYNAOn the day of the ”Barbie” film premiere and almost exactly one year after my Barbie Girl Fugue (youtube.com/watch?v=qsE7H6YPfco), nothing less could be expected than a follow-up!In the same educational spirit as in the previous videos, this video serves as a parodic and slightly critical take on one of the most well-known tunes from the 2000s —even incorporating its somewhat questionable lyrics.The six variations featured in the video illustrate the style of some of my favorite composers. The primary inspiration for this project came from Dudley Moore's timeless parody of a Beethoven piano sonata (youtu.be/GazlqD4mLvw). Additionally, the visual design of the video draws some influence from a respected colleague, Nahre Sol, whose creative work I have admired since my teenage years. I highly recommend visiting her channel (youtube.com/@NahreSol) for great visualisations of classical music._______00:00 Intro00:06 In the style of Mozart00:49 In the style of Beethoven01:33 In the style of Schumann02:35 In the style of Schubert03:43 In the style of Chopin05:02 In the style of Ravel05:49 Outro
Angry Birds but its a three voice fugal invention! 🎹 🦉 - Josep Castanyer Alonso Josep Castanyer Alonso 2023-05-20 | 🎹 Sheet music transcription: payhip.com/b/PH20DAfter the Barbie Girl Fugue (youtube.com/watch?v=qsE7H6YPfco), it was time for more fugal nostalgia, this time from the 2010s!For this video, I wrote, played, and recorded a three-part invention in fugato style based on a short but very recognizable motif from the Angry Birds game soundtrack.I tried to showcase the contrapuntal structure and formal evolution of the piece with my habitual self-made visuals —which are a bit more complex (and cool!) this time— emphasizing the concept of a motivic cell and its transformations.I hope it can be a fun way to whet the viewer's appetite for the study of counterpoint! ☺️
Let me do it for you, but its a double fugue 🐶 - Josep Castanyer Alonso Josep Castanyer Alonso 2023-02-10 | A double fugue on the theme of the “Let me do it for you” long nose dog meme.The first time I heard this eerily catching tune it instantly pulled at my heartstrings: the slightly forced voice in the falsetto register, the rising major 10th on the piano and the watery eyes of a borzoi dog…I was not surprised at all by the meme rapidly becoming a part of Internet culture.Here I have transformed it into a pocket-sized double fugue, with the first subject being the meme tune and the second, simpler subject doubling as a guide for the otherwise tonally ambiguous start of the jingle.I tried to treat both of the subjects and the countersubject in a relatively scholastic way and show the structure of the fugue by making use of some colours.
🐕 “Let me do it for you”, but it’s double fugue 🎹 - Josep Castanyer Alonso #shorts Josep Castanyer Alonso 2023-01-30 | A double fugue on the theme of the “Let me do it for you” long nose dog meme.The first time I heard this eerily catching tune it instantly pulled at my heartstrings: the slightly forced voice in the falsetto register, the rising major 10th on the piano and the watery eyes of a borzoi dog…I was not surprised at all by the meme rapidly becoming a part of Internet culture.Here I have transformed it into a pocket-sized double fugue, with the first subject being the meme tune and the second, simpler subject doubling as a guide for the otherwise tonally ambiguous start of the jingle.I tried to treat both of the subjects and the countersubject in a relatively scholastic way and show the structure of the fugue by making use of some colours.
Im a Barbie girl but its a three voice fugue! 🎹 🎤 - Josep Castanyer Alonso Josep Castanyer Alonso 2022-07-16 | 🎹 Sheet music transcription: payhip.com/b/n7A96After the overwhelming success of the Swedish ice-cream truck fugue (youtu.be/ZV0e7vd0mL8), it was about time to transform yet another famous tune into a fugue. Few pop songs are as catchy as Aqua's hit "I'm a Barbie girl". Here, it becomes a three part fugue, following its traditional structure and backed with some explanatory graphics.A fun summer project, an homage to pop music of the 90's and a way to get back into piano! 😀Piano, audio and video edition, composition: Josep Castanyer Alonso
Writing and playing a three voice fugue on the Swedish ice-cream truck! 🎹 - Josep Castanyer Alonso Josep Castanyer Alonso 2021-02-03 | Glassbilsfuga! A fun way to refresh my composition and video editing 🎬 skills. Ever since I moved to Sweden, I kept hearing this sticky jingle, especially in warm summer afternoons. It took me 2 whole years to go ahead and ask a dear friend what in the world this sound was. It turns out it is “glassbilen”, the ice-cream truck. 🍦🚚 So, when at the beginning of the year I challenged myself to compose, learn and record a three part fugue in only 7 days, I knew what the subject of that fugue had to be. I eventually managed in two weeks, not 7 days (by the way), but this has been a hilarious adventure which helped me refresh, among other, my rusty piano and video editing skills! 😃😎
Carmen Suite for cello quintet/Bizet-Thomas-Mifune/Royal Stockholm Philharmonic: Josep Castanyer... Josep Castanyer Alonso 2021-02-03 | Royal Stockholm Philharmonic cellists Josep Castanyer Alonso, Peter Volpert, Beate Lemke, Malin Mertens and Hanna Dahlkvist play a fragment from Bizet's "Carmen Suite" arranged by Werner Thomas-Mifune.Recorded in the Main Hall of the Stockholm Concert Hall on the 31st of March 2020, as a Corona-greeting to the quarantined audience.
Fragment, “Rapsòdia per piano i quintet de cordes”, 2012 - Josep Castanyer Alonso (14 years old) Josep Castanyer Alonso 2012-10-21 | AIMS Festival:Violí - Simone Zgraggen, Sergey OstrovskyViola - Barbara BuntrockVioloncel - Peter ThiemannContrabaix - Christoph RahnPiano - Alba Ventura
