Penn's Landing

Penn's Landing, by Che Buford

For Solo Piano, Intermediate, 5 Pages

Penn’s Landing was written for the 2020 Curtis Young Artist Summer Program's Composer-Performer Collective. The inspiration for this piece comes from a very specific memory that I had in May 2019 of me and a friend visiting an empty Penn’s Landing at night. The skyline of Philadelphia was so vibrant as well as the lights coming from different booths and restaurants that were open. Experiencing Penn’s Landing without any people allowed us to witness the beautiful qualities that night brings in Philadelphia.

The beginning of this piece starts with a reflective and peaceful feeling. The piano plays a descending two-note figure that resonates on the second note. It then mirrors itself with similar figures that represent the city lights reflecting on the water. The music transforms into something more lively, playful while still using motifs and figures from the beginning. We then move to darker, slightly slower music when the low register of the piano is introduced. The left-hand plays a dark chorale while the right-hand hits high endless, resonant notes. These feelings of elation, admiration, peacefulness, coldness, melancholia were all emotions that I hoped to evoke.

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