Klavikon

(United Kingdom)

Klavikon, by Sim Canetty-Clarke
  • event type:Classical:NEXT 16 showcase
  • date:26 May 2016
  • time:23:30
  • city/area:Rotterdam
  • venue:De Doelen, Entrance Hall Schouwburgplein (ground floor)
  • country:Netherlands
  • event posted by:Piranha Arts

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A Re-Staged Showcase, formatted by Steven Walter of Podium Festival

Leon Michener - piano

If you’re hoping to hear Chopin and Debussy when Leon Michener sits down at the piano, you will be sorely disappointed. Michener - better known as Klavikon - plays the piano like a DJ behind his decks, coaxing beats and grooves and melodic accompaniment using only his hands and feet.

‘It’s my synthesiser. It’s my sampler. It’s my machine,’ Michener told an interviewer for ‘Vice.’ To that end, Michener tweaks the piano’s hardware by adding wiring and cables, toying with the strings, and manipulating the sound board into his own effects rig. The result is a performance equally at home in the club or concert hall.

Klavikon is a triumph of traditions: one based on classical melody and structures, and another rooted in the equally storied history of techno music. It may sound like a mismatch, but the results are disarming and inspiring.