A composition by Peter Conradin Zumthor for pianist and piano tuner.

While the piano tuner usually intervenes without an audience, before the concerts, here he is at the heart of the musical action. He tunes, or rather detunes, the grand piano while the pianist plays. Things are Going Down is the title of Peter Conradin Zumthor’s composition for pianist and piano tuner. In this piece, which lasts just under an hour, the instrument sets itself in motion, revealing a spectacular force of aspiration.

The pianist’s rapid, repetitive playing becomes the medium for a metamorphosis of sound in real time: tempered tuning gradually disappears in favor of an exploration of sonic matter, towards the instrument’s lower register. The concert piano, so skilfully tuned, comes to life and reveals unsuspected sonorities. Fundamental and impressive, a powerful sonic experience!