21st Century Classical Music Thrives, Thunderously
Elijah Bossenbroek
When Elijah Bossenbroek’s “I Give Up” obtruded on one of my usually tranquil Pandora background music stations, I was jolted, amazed, thrilled, thunderstruck . . . and secondarily subjected to a wave of nostalgia for classical piano music.
(My apologies to readers who do not usually warm to classical music, but I do urge you to give a listen to Bossenbroek and maybe the others if you like him. They are all short—the Beethoven is the longest at 6:47. They are best played loud; I advise donning headphones. )
Without further adieu, I recommend three YouTube videos of Bossenbroek’s “I Give Up” (The title is a bit cryptic, but apparently has something to do with giving up the mundane and petty concerns that distract and clutter the soul.) Comments follow the videos.
(Addendum June 30: After listening to “I Give Up” about 70 times (literally!) I highly prefer OPTION THREE below (VikaKim), not just because of the visuals of her keyboard wizardry, which are great. VikaKim’s interpretation, especially near the end, emphasizes the most brilliant elements in a way that Bossenbroek’s himself does not. (IMHO)
Continue reading “Pianistic Thunder: Bossenbroek, Thomas, Beethoven”