Rzewski's 'Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues' 1/2 Audio + Sheet Music

[emopz13]

From 3:30 there is a quotation from the opening bars of Rachmaninoff's second piano concerto!

[jcracker]

this is AWESOME

[OrbiliusMagister]

I eventually found out what's that melody between 4:12 and 5:10: it is actually a quotation  of the traditional Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues: go to sniff.numachi. com/ pages/ tiWNNSBORO;ttWNNSBORO.html

and you'll find out that the final part of this tune resembles the quotation. Obviously Rzewski put some twists and turns...

[tomekkobialka]

@OrbiliusMagister Thanks for that OM, I've always wondered if the melodies in this piece were based on another song (like in the 3rd northern american ballad, 'Down by the Riverside', which I played for my grade 2 violin exam 7 years ago)

[cerzule]

This piece terrified me when I first heard it -- I had no idea what to expect, but the grinding, relentless dissonance gave me chills, and then the sinister crescendos and repetitious rhythms made me even more uneasy. It all contrasts with the lovely, bluesy theme that emerges from the noise, which again disappears into shrieking tone clusters, before gradually vanishing into an eerie silence ... it's brilliant!

[DanielMcDrtcomposer]

Rzewski is one of the most underated composers of our time, a real unique musician. Check put "coming together" , a real gem.

[cantabile91]

after listening to 6min of relentless pounding, i'm having a headache (for real).

[John11inch]

Probably, and unfortunately, the most uninspired performance of this piece put out by a major pianist. Weird considering his TPUWNBD variations are so good. This is just boring and sloppy.

[franzleone]

Hamelin,always extroardinary

[HomelyCooking]

The unaffected, cruel, mechanistic clusters, sequences and progressions of this first part make this one of the most frightening pieces of music I've ever heard. And then, what a contrast with the second part!

[Klimperenie]

The chords right hand beginning 3:30 are nearly the same as at the beginning of Rachmaninows 2nd piano concert ?! ...

[OrbiliusMagister]

@Klimperenie The cotton Mill owner wanted his workers to hear something different from that relentless grinding, so he aired through loudspeakers some Rachmaninov.

I'd like to know the source of the second quotiation (from 4:12 to 5:10): it sounds familiar to my ears, but Rzewski twisted its rhythm and harmonies.

[newfreshreview]

@OrbiliusMagister Agreed on that quotation.

[maydengarNSBHS]

i can't find any information on the 'Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues'

[tomekkobialka]

I'd say so yes, but this could be anything lol

[Fallansig]

This is definitely not minimalism. The repetition, especially at the beginning, is symbolic. Check out what the 'Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues' is, and it'll make much more sense.

[LongDriveChamp03]

@Fallansig I wouldn't call this minimalism either. If anything it's almost like impressionist music. When I hear this I can hear the machinery and see it.

[MrCrazyAlligator]

@LongDriveChamp03 When I hear this, I instantly thought of machinery, and working in a cotton mill all day long. Just close your eyes and imagine machines rolling and grinding to the music in the first half. It's kind of eerie.

[DampPedal]

thank you for uploading this!

you should put the two piano version up too

[maydengarNSBHS]

???