C.M. Jenkins, pianist and music composer from Maryland (currently based in Washington D.C.), recently released Piano Concerto #1, and in doing so, shared a masterpiece with the world: preserving classical music and bringing it onto modern radio, where it’s always belonged.
Having written this as his first piece at the age of 17 after finishing classical piano lessons, Jenkins became heavily excited and challenged. It was the turning point for his future, allowing him to realize his truth as a musician – and very much at the benefit of his listeners, truth be told.
Switching through diverse tempos and dynamics, Piano Concerto #1 aims to evoke images of ‘rain and thunder during a storm’ – managing to present the very picture it hopes for, through an arrangement of elements and forces that are unstoppably captivating and healing. The thematic variations that occur between soft moments of dancing arpeggios, to the strong winded storms that musically provide fullness through dark, deepened chords in thunderous roars that would shake every tree in a forest.
Piano Concerto #1, though very imaginative and cinematic on it’s own, is accompanied by an animated video, painting an eerie and magical backdrop for the piece. We follow a black silhouette caught in the rain in a dark forest, and are soon joined by glowing eyes in dark trees, fire, and a starry sky glistening as the very melodies do, when they bounce around each other creating the chaos of the storm in a kaleidoscopic cascade of sounds.
The piece is an incredible use of your ear energy, and definitely much to appreciate.
Written by Yannick Mirko
FOLLOW C.M. JENKINS:
