ECO-PIANO ModEkAl

Nino Jvania; Eka Chabashvili; Tamar Zhvania

doi:10.5937/newso22059050C

Nino Jvania Vano Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire, Tbilisi, Georgia
Eka Chabashvili Vano Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire, Tbilisi, Georgia
Tamar Zhvania Vano Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire, Tbilisi, Georgia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5937/newso22059050C

Keywords: modified piano; eco-piano; artistic research; new notation; new tuning system

Abstract

For the major part of contemporary composers, the main field of interest is electroacoustic music. On the one hand, the capabilities of classical instruments often no longer satisfy composers - they see more creative potential in music programming; on the other hand, this interest is driven by the composers’ desire to have their composed works performed, the realization of which is much easier at the expense of technologies. These trends have clearly created a shortage of new sounds in instrumental music. It is important to maintain instrumental music and to make its existence suitable for the modern environment. To solve this problem, an upright piano “Zarya” was modified according to the principles of modern musical thinking and very topical ecomusicology into the piano called ModEkAl. The modified piano is a new type of piano constructed for the artistic research ‘Has Piano Music Come to an End?’ conducted by composer Eka Chabashvili and pianists Nino Jvania and Tamar Zhvania. The piano was modified according to Chabashvili's scheme which was enriched with the ideas of piano master Alexander Zirakashvili. The paper describes the modified instrument in detail, and introduces a new notation system designed exclusively for the ModEkAl.

Author Biographies

Nino Jvania, Vano Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire, Tbilisi, Georgia

Nino Jvania, pianist, musicologist, PhD, Associate Professor at the Tbilisi Conservatoire (Department of Special Piano). She studied piano and musicology at the Tbilisi Conservatoire and the R. Schumann-Hochschule Düsseldorf. She is the prize-winner of various international piano competitions and the author of several scholarly works and a monograph. Currently, she is leading the artistic research project “Has Piano Music Come to an End?” which is being conducted together with composer Eka Chabashvili and pianist Tamar Zhvania and financed by the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia.

Eka Chabashvili, Vano Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire, Tbilisi, Georgia

For the major part of contemporary composers, the main field of interest is electroacoustic music. On the one hand, the capabilities of classical instruments often no longer satisfy composers - they see more creative potential in music programming; on the other hand, this interest is driven by the composers’ desire to have their composed works performed, the realization of which is much easier at the expense of technologies. These trends have clearly created a shortage of new sounds in instrumental music. It is important to maintain instrumental music and to make its existence suitable for the modern environment. To solve this problem, an upright piano “Zarya” was modified according to the principles of modern musical thinking and very topical ecomusicology into the piano called ModEkAl. The modified piano is a new type of piano constructed for the artistic research ‘Has Piano Music Come to an End?’ conducted by composer Eka Chabashvili and pianists Nino Jvania and Tamar Zhvania. The piano was modified according to Chabashvili's scheme which was enriched with the ideas of piano master Alexander Zirakashvili. The paper describes the modified instrument in detail, and introduces a new notation system designed exclusively for the ModEkAl.

Tamar Zhvania, Vano Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire, Tbilisi, Georgia

Tamar Zhvania, pianist, Doctor of Music, Assistant Professor at the Tbilisi V.Sarajishvili State Conservatoire (Department of Chamber Music Ensemble and String Quartet). She studied at the Tbilisi Conservatoire and the R. Schumann-Hochschule Düsseldorf (as a DAAD Grant holder). Prizes: 1^st Prize and the Special Prize of the Mayor of Vienna at the Vienna International Piano Competition 2006; Diploma of Honour at the IV Bialystok International Piano Duo Competition 2008. Tamar also participates in international conferences and publishes her papers in national and international periodicals.