Track Commentary

Composer: Pietro Mascagni
Performed by: Pietro Mascagni (Chickering 9-foot Ampico Grand Piano), Tatsushi Omori (marimba)

The opera Cavalleria rusticana (1890) is known as a representative work of Italian verismo opera, and its intermezzo is one of the most widely loved melodies from the entire work. Progressing with a string texture reminiscent of a quiet prayer, this piece serves as an important spiritual turning point within the opera and has come to be performed independently beyond its original context.

In this performance, a reproducing piano (Ampico roll) capturing the composer Mascagni’s own playing is used, and the addition of marimba creates a collaboration that transcends time.

Originally written as an orchestral work, it contains a breadth of sound that cannot be fully reproduced by piano alone; in this arrangement, the marimba complements that resonance, bringing forth the work’s spirituality and rich tonal color in a new form.

It can be understood as a musical dialogue across time, completed through the collaboration between the composer’s recorded performance and a contemporary performer.

2. The Tale of Tsar Saltan: The Flight of the Bumble-Bee (Arranged by Tatsushi Omori)

Composer: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Performed by: Sergei Rachmaninoff (Chickering 9-foot Ampico Grand Piano), Tatsushi Omori (marimba)

Originally written as a scene from the opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan (1900), The Flight of the Bumble-Bee is a work that depicts the rapid motion of a flying bee through fast-moving musical figures, representing the height of orchestral virtuosity.

Its vivid sense of motion and clear musical imagery have led it to be widely performed as a solo piece.

In this performance, a reproducing piano recording by Sergei Rachmaninoff himself—one of the most significant figures of the 20th century as both composer and pianist—is used.

After emigrating to the United States, Rachmaninoff was also involved in demonstrating reproducing pianos, and his exceptional technique and expressive nuance are precisely captured in the roll.

In this arrangement, marimba is layered onto that historical performance, creating a tense and vivid musical interplay, as if the two forces stand in balance within a sound full of momentum.

The mechanical precision of the reproducing piano and the performer’s individual nuance intersect, offering a unique sonic experience.

3. Csárdás (Arranged by Tatsushi Omori)

Composer: Vittorio Monti
Performed by: Limonaire 1900, Tatsushi Omori (marimba), Yoko Kamihara (marimba)

Csárdás, composed in 1904, is widely known for its dramatic structure, based on the Hungarian dance style, moving from a slow section to a rapid one, with a free and improvisatory character.

While rooted in a national idiom, it has inspired many arrangements and performance styles, reflecting the individuality of performers.

In this performance, fluctuations in tempo and expression from Omori’s playing were first converted into data, and based on this, the accompaniment was reconstructed for an automatic instrument, making collaboration with the Limonaire 1900 possible.

With the addition of Yoko Kamihara, the marimba ensemble creates a layered expansion of rhythm and resonance.

The fusion of a historical automatic instrument with contemporary performers results in a newly formed chamber-like musical space, which is one of the defining characteristics of this performance.

About the Limonaire 1900

The Limonaire 1900 is a large automatic organ manufactured in France in 1900.

It is a symbolic and highly popular instrument of the Hall of Halls museum.
Specially built for the 1900 Paris Exposition, its sound is said to reach as far as two kilometers.

Its brilliant performance and Art Nouveau decorative panels convey the atmosphere of the late 19th century to the present day.

4. Rhapsodie hongroise, S. 379a: No.2

Composer: Franz Liszt
Performed by: Alfred Cortot (Chickering 9-foot Ampico Grand Piano)

Composed in 1847, this is the second of Liszt’s nineteen Hungarian Rhapsodies and is the most famous among them, defining Liszt’s image as a virtuoso.

It has also been widely featured in animation and film.

Liszt, born in Hungary, took great pride in his national roots, and this set of rhapsodies was formed using the style of what was then considered “Hungarian music,” largely based on Romani (Gypsy) musical idioms.

No. 2 is a representative work in which this style is most dramatically and theatrically developed.

The performance is by Alfred Cortot (1877–1962), a pianist known for expressing the spirit and poetry of the composer.

This approach is clearly reflected here:
in the gentle phrasing where sound seems to speak like language, and in the faster passages that suggest a subtle irony or humor.

The Ampico roll of Cortot’s performance of this work was produced and released in 1921 and is also known for including his own cadenza, commonly referred to as the “Cortot cadenza.”

5. Variations on a Theme from Bizet’s “Carmen” (Arranged by Vladimir Horowitz)

Composer: Georges Bizet
Performed by: Vladimir Horowitz (Chickering 9-foot Ampico Grand Piano)

This work was inspired by Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy, which Horowitz encountered while touring in Russia.

Horowitz did not wish to publish the score and reportedly kept it for his own use, yet many admirers hoped to hear it performed, and it was frequently played as an encore.

The piece exists in different variations depending on the period, and this particular performance was recorded in 1928.

It preserves an early example of Horowitz’s style—astonishing audiences with its fast tempos, sharp fortissimo, and extraordinary virtuosity.

6. 5 Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3-2, Prelude

Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff
Performed by: Sergei Rachmaninoff (Chickering 9-foot Ampico Grand Piano)

Composed in 1892, this work is remarkably complete for a piece written at the age of 19 and brought Rachmaninoff immediate recognition.

At the same time, its great popularity led him to perform it repeatedly as an encore throughout his life, leaving him with mixed feelings.

The chord progression evokes the sound of Russian Orthodox bells, a characteristic that would later connect to works such as The Bells and Symphony No. 2.

Born in Russia, Rachmaninoff moved to the United States in 1918 and became active as a concert pianist.
Many of his performances were preserved through Ampico reproducing piano rolls.

Initially skeptical that a perforated paper roll could reproduce a performance accurately, he reportedly exclaimed upon hearing his first playback in 1919:
“Gentlemen, I have just heard myself play!”

The Ampico system allows for highly detailed reproduction of dynamics, preserving Rachmaninoff’s powerful touch and subtle tempo fluctuations in the roll.

7. Scherzo Humoristique (The Cat and the Mouse)

Composer: Aaron Copland
Performed by: Aaron Copland (Chickering 9-foot Ampico Grand Piano)

Aaron Copland (1900–1990) is regarded as one of the most important American composers of the 20th century.

Known for creating a distinctly American musical style characterized by clarity and accessibility, this early work reflects a different influence.

Based on Jean de La Fontaine’s fable The Old Cat and the Young Mouse, the piece was composed in 1920 and shows strong influences of European Impressionism and modern music.

It is also valued as an early work in which Copland’s interest in rhythm and sound begins to emerge.

This performance was produced and distributed as a piano roll in the 1920s, performed by Copland himself—serving not only as a record of performance, but also as a means of conveying his musical interpretation to audiences of the time.