MY URBAN PIANO Diary 7
Episode 3: JOY — Aarhus
After months of preparations the day has finally arrived. I am driving to Denmark. So far we’ve had to deal with lots of traffic jams on our way from Luxembourg to Aarhus, and what is even worse, with lots of rain pouring down. The biggest risk factor for a video project like mine that needs pianos to be placed outside is the weather. I need dry weather. Please.
Fortunately my friend Dan Schank, the behind-the-scenes-cameraman who accompanies me to every city of the MY URBAN PIANO journey, takes over the wheel as I begin to get tired. I’m a little bit nervous, but also full of excitement about this trip to the ‘City of Smiles’ as it is called by the inhabitants of Aarhus (this was actually the main inspiration to call my piece for Aarhus ‘Joy’).
Shortly before we enter Denmark, the sky is clearing up and gives way to a beautiful rainbow on the Danish side. I am now completely confident that the shooting will be blessed with magnificent weather.
I had found a very cozy (or ‘hyggelig’) Airbnb for us. After the rainbow this was another positive sign. You couldn’t wish for a lovelier place to stay. On a side note, this apartment was booked out until early 2018, with only the three nights that I needed being free — apparently there had been a last minute cancellation, Birgitta and Preben, our super nice hosts, told us. Sometimes everything falls into place.
The next morning — after my morning ritual which Dan filmed for our ‘making of’ (see below) — we got ready for the video shoot at Godsbanen. David Draad, the video artist of episode 3 and Toke Hage, our set photographer, were already on the roof of Godsbanen which we had chosen to be the main location for my clip. It is spectacular. You have a great view over Aarhus, especially with the gorgeous weather we were so fortunate to have. Now I also saw the piano that Peninna Risgaard had designed for me for the first time in all its colorful splendor. Again, now painted on the wood of the piano: a big rainbow. This symbol means a lot to me. With the help of Eric, one of Godsbanen’s technicians, we found a great spot for the piano and began filming.
After a short while a lot of curious kids showed up. A pianist on the roof? Well, they were god-sent! Who personifies JOY better than children? I ran down to talk to them and their teachers, asked them if they would agree to be filmed for my new music video, and yes, they were more than happy to. Over the course of the morning several school classes visited Godsbanen, and all of them were fine to be a part of the video. Another nice encounter was the one with Louise, the runner who ran up and down and up and down the roof for her interval training. Being an hobby athlete myself, I ran a couple of rounds with Louise and also got her okay for David to film her. So we not only have the sun, but also children, teenagers and a runner in my video! I feel really, really blessed. Have a look at Toke’s pictures of the shooting day:
David Draad had shot some footage in Aarhus with a group of young actors before our video shooting, and in the final result you see the combination of my performance on the roof and of the scenes from the city. Aarhus is a city full of positivity and joy, which David brilliantly translated into visuals. I love this video. Enjoy JOY:
Aarhus is a city full of positivity and joy.
In the afternoon we went to the Infinite Bridge (‘Den Uendelige Bro’) which is located a little bit south of the city. If you ever plan to go to Aarhus, don’t miss the opportunity to visit this wonderful place at the shore. Dan recorded an interview with me at the bridge (also in the ‘making of’).
The next day I played a concert on the roof of Godsbanen. Again, nice weather, a great audience, an extraordinarily nice team. Godsbanen is really cool, but it’s not alone the architecture that makes it great, it’s the people and the spirit of this place that make Godsbanen stand out among the many amazing locations that Aarhus has to offer. I am excited to announce that the JOY piano which was sponsored by the kind folks over at Juhl-Sørensen (thank you so much!) will be donated to Godsbanen. I can’t wait to go back to Aarhus and to play another concert to celebrate the donation of the piano. I will announce the date on my website and Facebook as soon as possible.
The JOY piano will be donated to Godsbanen.
In the evening I played a second concert, this time as a part of the ‘Aarhus Festuge’, which was really huge this year (Aarhus being the European Capital of Culture 2017). The location for this concert was very special too: it was a big inflatable tent in the form of a dome (they actually called it ‘The Dome’). The audience had three possibilities to enjoy the concert: by standing, sitting on chairs or lying on big pillows that had been placed on the ground. The third option was definitely the most comfortable one, and I was delighted to see how the Danish audience dived deep into my music, they seemed to forget everything around them (at least I did). We spent some timeless moments together — this has also been wonderfully captured by Dan in his ‘making of’:
We spent some timeless moments together.
On the following day we drove home, enriched by all the beautiful impressions from Aarhus and by the precious encounters with so many marvelous people. Thank you, Aarhus.
Two weeks later the video was ready to be premiered at the release concert in Schifflange (Luxembourg), the town I grew up in. When I arrived in Schifflange I was greeted by another radiant rainbow:
And again, the concert location was not an ordinary one: I played in a mirror tent! The scene was fabulous, the audience warmhearted, and even without lying on pillows the atmosphere among my listeners was as intense and intimate as you could only wish for. Here are a few impressions of the JOY release concert:
In the next iteration of my blog I will go into some of the details for episode 4 which is going to be shot in — drumroll — Prague!
The single JOY is available on every streaming and download platform like iTunes, Apple Music and Spotify.
Pianist and composer David Ianni from Luxembourg has become well-known for his project MY URBAN PIANO: a series of music videos is produced in different European Capitals of Culture. An original composition is dedicated to each city, performed on an artistically designed piano. Each piano is donated. Join the journey and follow David on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and sign up for his newsletter. Each video plus making of material is published to David’s YouTube channel. For more information, please visit www.davidianni.com.
