Mahan Esfahani: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

[@TheMarkEH]

The wide range of music is why I love this channel. It takes me out of my rut. Thank you. Oh, and this was excellent by the way.

[@initzuriel]

Totally agree. I have found so many cool artists and genres through tiny desk

[@johnosullivan7983]

Absolutely, everything that is good about music appears on this channel

[@nprmusic]

Thanks for watching and appreciating the variety of genres we have on Tiny Desk!

[@TheMarkEH]

@@nprmusic You're welcome, keep up the good work.

[@widodomohammad8816]

yass couldnt agree more

[@PentameronSV]

0:00 - *Domenico Scarlatti: 'Sonata in D, K. 534'* 4:04 - *Domenico Scarlatti: 'Sonata in D, K. 535'* (5:19 / 5:33) 7:11 - *Mel Powell: 'Recitative and Toccata Percossa'* (14:13 / 14:31) 16:00 - *Johann Pachelbel: 'Chaconne'* (19:38)

[@bruno_semi]

thank you sir

[@PentameronSV]

@@bruno_semi Glad to have helped.

[@i.t.t.]

I went to see Mahan play the goldberg variations in nagoya and it was stunning. he was so surprised to see me there and especially an Eritrean too. living in London he'd met his share of Eritreans and ethiopians and knew a thing or 2 about us and our music, which did surprise me. it's still so rare to meet sb who does or even know what or where Eritrea is. he told me he liked eritrean music (more than Ethiopian) bc of the minor key that it's played. it was like a revelation to me as I'd never thought of it before. it was so nice to wake up to this notification. it brought back lovely memories.

[@BenniArt]

Thank you for this lovely anecdote! :)

[@mr_torle]

Any recommndations to listen to?

[@yousafe007]

mr_torle i would Recommend bis recording of the Goldberg variations, Bach’s toccatas and Gus earlier ones are just as beautiful

[@abaneyone]

The harpsichord is an amazing instrument and this man masters it.

[@yousafe007]

TTLt106 well his mistakes don’t tell much actually, you should rather google up his recordings and other videos.

[@hellomate639]

@TTLt106 ...such as?

[@PlanetOfTheApes999]

This performance leaves a lot to be desired.

[@january2798]

Reminds me of when I had to listen to music from composers of the past in the music lab in college. He brings this instrument to life most defenitely like nothing I have ever seen.

[@january2798]

Or heard

[@dbradx]

Yep, another absolutely incredible Tiny Desk, bringing me music I didn't know I needed in my life until now. Thanks so much to the whole crew at NPR, Tiny Desk is without doubt the best thing in music!

[@MoncurElectric]

That Mel Powell piece is stunning, as is the performance! It employs the unique features of the instrument to great effect.

[@nurik]

AMAZING choice to introduce some musical diversity, been a fan since the Alex Ross write up. Was hoping for a Bach but hey. Thanks, NPR!!

[@ssherb2762]

Many thanks. I have always wanted to see him play, and while not in person, this is awesome. I met him when he was 15. Always a gentleman!

[@hukama6911]

I feel like some peasant invited to a duke's feast...

[@alyssadriscoll7181]

Ooo you're gonna love bardcore for middle ages music!! this is slightly more piratey, french, american revolutions era

[@prettysimplemusic]

Oh NPR, thou hast given thine subscribers, yet another wondrous musical journey (in my English accent) 🙏

[@alexc.9468]

This is awesome to hear harpsichord in the modern-day! He is so talented! Thank you for performing this!

[@carlosapariciodesan]

I have studied for 14 years harpsichord. Now I play jazz keyboard. Studying Scarlatti's Sonatas have helped me a lot to have a good left hand for comping... ;) Thank's to NPR for considering this kind of music for their channel.

[@jackieedwards-henry8315]

Fabulous musician and performer, fabulous repertoire choices. Thank you NPR Tiny Desk for making me aware of him!

[@Theblessedlifewithlala]

Love the sound but I absolutely loved his facial expressions. 💕❤

[@MikeKobb]

I had the pleasure of attending a duet performance by Mr. Esfahani with Stefan Jackiw on violin in San Francisco in early 2020. Great to see this video, which gives a much closer look at his dextrous playing! One of the interesting things that he mentioned during a Q&A at that performance was that as a harpsichordist, you don't really travel with your own instrument. You arrange to have one at the venue. In the case of the SF performance, the instrument was brought all the way up from LA. But, unlike the relatively consistent design of pianos and the fairly wide availability of models from major makers, harpsichords come in a number of different varieties, with different keyboard configurations and other features that change the tones they produce. Since they're relatively rare, it's not like you can get the same kind at every performance, so he has to adapt each performance to the instrument that was available.

[@sltdmn8969]

he looks like a modern uncle fester(?) and i'm living for it 🥺🥺💓💞 godbless this man

[@nadiaarghh]

Thanks NPR for doing this!

[@nprmusic]

Thanks for watching!

[@tomas5376]

Always something new! Haven’t heard a harpsichord for years. He must travel with a truck or van and an assistant to move/transport it!👍✌️😊🙏🏼🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎵🎵

[@jamiesandman7517]

Unless for a special recording, instrumets are always provided by the host

[@TylerDurdin]

Thank you for keeping the music rolling during lockdown!

[@coolkatj5]

8-bit Nintendo tunes on steroids!.. all jokes aside, this is a master performance. Incredible.

Love it, psychord sounds is fresh and he is amazing

[@pilarmoto]

Thanks NPR for this mini great concert, i loved it and I think Mahan is a great artist! This was really refreshing among the sound beats we usually listen.

[@danielbernal4286]

Beatitul music but i just think about how they put that piano in that space. amazing.

[@RheaBorja]

Loved this concert ❤️. Thank you for featuring this wonderful and funny musician. Also, I've only played Scarlatti on the piano; would love to get my hands on one of these babies.

[@xtineonutube]

I died and went to heaven. And there, Agha Esfahani was jamming with Padre Antonio Soler, Scarlatti and the rest of the gang

[@KennyOkoyesMom]

That’s fresh

[@johntuffin3262]

Just what I needed to raise my spirits on a wet afternoon in English lockdown!

[@unelias2592]

Loved it! 14:09 remembered how i slipped and fell on ice last winter.

[@kevin34105]

Polyphonic Spree and other giant groups are one thing, but how'd they stuff a harpsichord behind the Tiny Desk? Or even get it in the elevator?

[@nprmusic]

Very, very carefully.

[@maxbronstein5383]

The Pachelbel is absolutely amazing ❤

[@philaeew4866]

Beautiful music, you can never go wrong with Scarlatti! Excellent playing, too. I admire keyboard players who play so fluently and full of expression. Edit:"And unlike Hindemith, he was actually not boring" I laughed more than I should at that. Cool guy.

[@littoy]

The chaconne was out of this world.

[@Pplwithnoname]

Glorious music. I await more.

[@datanoster]

I cannot believe what I just watched. best ever. also, sid chip music from 1700 or whatevs.

[@TheFeelButton]

Amazing! Jamming along on my Guild!!

[@eddyc4603]

I always thought that was was one of the few instruments I didn't like... Think again! Thanks.

[@mohsenkarimi4630]

دمتگرم داداش ... کارت خیلی درسته ...

[@WinrichNaujoks]

Hindemith is NOT boring!

[@zarathustra3976]

Thanks Tiny Desk

[@_matetina]

Really hard Mario Bros vibes 8:35

[@rosshoyt2030]

Nice gotta love baroque music ☘️👌🥦

[@brianculross5388]

Bravissimo!!

[@melodyjan6909]

Tiny Desk should feature an organist as well! Dr. Christoph Bull is a fantastic German-born, Los Angeles-based musician. If you do feature an organist, you should have a segment in which the organist improvises from a couple of notes or a tune chosen by the audience. Organists are notorious improvisers! :)

[@davidsonandverlinabishop9173]

They did. Check out Paul Jacobs tiny desk.

[@dimllc]

Which Nintendo video game influenced his song starting at @10:00 mark?

[@josephfazio7648]

Bravo! 🎶😎

[@후덜덜-e3d]

I like cembalo sounds!!!♥

[@carlosdanielscala8605]

Bien , gracias , viva don Perón.

[@bereniceaj6890]

Great!

[@sublime9525]

Tiny desk is the best thing ever. But I couldn't get into this one.

[@CleoSolomons]

Musical genius

[@burgesssam]

that finger speed is wild

[@martazelaya940]

imagine hearing this noise for the first time

[@mysigt_]

I want to hear some funk on this thing

[@leo32190]

@TTLt106 What? 😂

[@wc1472_]

gulda for rico

[@enzocypriani5055]

Wow!!!

[@orman28]

If you can watch/hear this without having some vision of a Jane Austen novel in your head, you have more focus than me...

[@hansmahr8627]

Jane Austen was much later than the music he's playing. At Jane Austen's time a fortepiano would have been more common.

[@jasminedarden23]

The music is beautiful. But sewing how empty the room is kinda making me sad

[@GiacomodellaSvezia]

You're so right there: Music is a common experience, for musicians and their public. Also: music is more delightful when you can see the musicians perform it live and vice versa.

[@jamiesandman7517]

The performances of Tiny are not open to public, only a handful employees may attend, also the space is limited

[@caminantesideral7190]

Sequísimo el bro, se le nota bastante fresco

[@datanoster]

that keyboards got third degree burns

[@korndud]

IRAN REPRESENT!

[@burgesssam]

Sounds like Before Sunrise

[@harlekin8116]

yesss

[@andrepearson537]

Can Brent Fayiaz please have a tiny desk concert

[@orcaflotta7867]

Scarlatti @ NPR: Now I've seen it all! :o

[@JullyBrian]

Invite Sauti Sol from Kenya. Sawa

[@sammywestenberger9303]

Mummy 1999 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Music Composed & Conducted By Jerry Goldsmith INTRADA Records Limited Edition CD

[@EyeSceneRed]

Fantastic player, but I would love to hear some originals.

[@raymondlawson2301]

👏

[@shainadiaz6072]

anyone who can tell me the keys for Johann Pachelbel: 'Chaconne' 16-19:38

[@benoitducene466]

Such a self-obsessed and rhythmically wayward player, as usual.

[@emanuelamado5485]

8 bit music like diz

[@nyonyopraia]

Can we dance to the harpsichord?

[@lo-ero]

Yes.

[@jamiesandman7517]

They did in Bach's time :)

[@nyonyopraia]

Act'ly I refer to the scene in Before Sunrise when Jesse said "can we dance to the harpsichord?" To Celine.

[@lucasm82]

reminds me of Tetris videogame

[@clementearanguiz9887]

He got the fastest fingers in the game

[@snowstrobe]

Interesting sound, could not listen to a whole concert of it on its own though.

[@ajesco]

Weak.

[@loiccoulombel1635]

Yen y avais utw

[@natebarnett4561]

Why did the harpsichord go out of vougue?

[@favoriteblueshirt]

The piano?

[@hansmahr8627]

The fortepiano was invented (which is the ancestor of the modern piano). It was seen as superior by the composers of the day because it had more dynamical variety, a softer and richer sound and also more possibilities to modify the sound with pedals. It's really only in the 20th century that the instrument was rediscovered.

[@jamiesandman7517]

Hans, you may change your mind about dynamic variety/flexibility if you listen to more performance recently produced by some young artists who play newly written material or have been exploring music previously not performed on harpsichord. By the way. I am not undermining your listening experience or musical knowledge.

[@hellomate639]

It's a good question, honestly. The harpsichord is like fire to the piano's water, in timbre.

[@knight10666]

Well, it is actually a more gradual change than many outside of musicology recognize. The first documentation of the instrument that would become the piano was in 1700 in a inventory of the Medici instrument collection. People in that time didn’t think much of it, in general. The harpsichord was still the dominant salon keyboard instrument for the next few decades. The piano started to eclipse the harpsichord in the second half of the 18th century. I would say that it merely had to do with the change in musical taste. Music that is idiomatic for one isn’t necessary so for the other. Composers of the latter half of the century started on harpsichords, such as Mozart, and it remained an instrument for continuo through the end of the century. It was also not uncommon for wealthy families to have both a harpsichord and a piano in this period. By the time of the French Revolution, the piano had effectively eclipsed the harpsichord. Although people still used and played them and the Washington family even bought a new harpsichord in the 1790s. Even through early works of Beethoven, piano works were published “for forte-piano or Harpsichord” because many people still had them. With that said, pieces in this period were certainly written for the piano, they are clearly more idiomatic for the piano. But the publishers did this to up sales. For example, the famous Moonlight sonata was clearly written for piano but when it was published, the title page said “for forte-piano or harpsichord” (in Italian) because people still owned harpsichords and they could sell more music that way. Then for Italian opera, there is reason to believe that in the first decade or two of the 19th century, harpsichords were still being used for recitativo secco.

[@damere856]

Good morning family ☀️ it’s 5:02am in Jersey. What time do you have?

[@marcussfebruary9104]

16 minutes past 4 in the afternoon, greetings from South Africa 💫

[@orangepuffs6796]

This is on time, and not Vulfpeck.

[@saperIipopette]

Orangepuffs ; jack Stratton wishes he was this guy

[@lavernhooks6672]

I sort of think he's cute! Must be that harpsichord.......?!?

[@rd4660]

Driving the rap lovers nuts. :-)

[@veins91]

W RD not really

[@ladiiswaggerent.1982]

Nope.

[@salmonline]

...aaand it IS a harpsichord.

[@shy.kumquat]

Wow, I had no idea Pachelbel wrote anything besides that god forsaken piece I loathe so much.

[@CameronMcManus]

Sounds like space invaders at some points

[@hoot2416]

The office is noticeably more empty than Taylor Swift's tiny desk concert... 🤣🤣🤣

[@DerLiesl]

The harpsichord takes up a lot of space

[@jamiesandman7517]

Irrelevant comparison 😴

[@isabella7921]

Talented for sure but this is one of the worst instruments I've ever heard?

[@2getha4eva2]

isabella I always find this sort of comment funny, because so does almost everyone else. Because the Harpsichord lacks dynamic contrast capabilities, it lost popularity in favor of the Piano (piano-forte).