Yorgan Mitchell
Yorgan Mitchell, born in 1974, is a pianist and music composer living in the Netherlands. According to insiders Yorgan is “capable of integrating classical & Jazz music with the sound of today’s world, new age and film music …”In 2005 Yorgan initiated his '1st Piano Project', representing his reflections on 25 years of musical experience.
In 1979, Yorgan started to play the piano. At the local Music school he was taught the essential basics of classical piano music. In 1988 Yorgan gained exposure by performing pieces of Chopin, Debussy and other famous composers for national television, radio, concerts and contests resulting in several nominations. In 1992 Yorgan focussed more on modern pop, dance, jazz and latin music. He was admitted to the conservatory of Rotterdam in which he did not feel too comfortable. After 2 years he decided to expand his horizon with cultural and linguïstical studies.
Yorgan's 1st Piano Project represents various music styles. His priority is deep solo piano music, but new side projects are planned for 2006. "With one grand piano and supplemental virtual acoustic computer technologies, I want to create a new musical experience that is understandable for a broad audience".
For the next period, Yorgan will be composing and recording music in his studio in The Netherlands. "I have composed a lot of music that still needs to be produced in the way I want. The results will be published weekly on www.1stpiano.com. For new inspiration I have scheduled some trips to latin America and the Far East. In 2007 I would like to start playing live concerts ..."
The making of 'The 1st Piano Project'
The 1st Piano Project has been recorded with the following acoustic and virtual instruments:Grand piano
A piano is a keyboard instrument, widely used in western music for solo performances, compositions and rehearsals. The piano produces sound by striking steel strings with felt hammers. These vibrations are transmitted though the bridges to the soundboard. A grand piano is the concert form of a piano. A grand piano has the frame and strings placed horizontally, with the strings extending away from the keyboard. Grand pianos are distinguished from upright pianos, which have their strings and frame arranged vertically. The 1st Piano Project uses sounds of the Bosendorfer, Yamaha and Steinway grand pianos.
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the Classical guitar, but generally strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound. Sometimes the term steel-stringed guitar or folk guitar is used to differentiate from the classical guitar. The 1st piano project is supported by an excellent virtual acoustic and classical guitar sound library.
Orchestral sounds
An orchestra is a musical ensemble used most often in classical music. A full size orchestra may sometimes be called a "symphony orchestra". A symphony orchestra will usually have over eighty musicians on its staff, in some cases over a hundred, but the number of musicians used in a performance varies according to the work being played. A leading chamber orchestra might have forty or fifty members; some are much smaller than that. The typical symphony orchestra consists of four groups of musical instruments. In the order in which they appear on the score they are:
-the woodwinds (flutes, piccolos, oboes, cor anglais, clarinets etc.)
-the brass (horns, trumpets, trombones, bass trombones, tuba, etc.)
-the percussion (timpani, snare drum, bass drum, celesta, piano, etc.)
-the strings (violins, violas, cellos, double bass)
The 1st piano project is supported by an excellent virtual orchestra simulation.
Synthesizers and samplers
A synthesizer is an electronic musical instrument designed to produce electronically generated sounds, textures and ambiences. The synthesized sound is contrasted with recording of natural sound, where the mechanical energy of a sound wave is transformed into a signal which will then be converted back to mechanical energy on playback. The expanded K2500 of the legandary Ray Kurzweil is in use for the 1st Piano Project.