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Lubomyr Melnyk (*1948) is a Ukrainian composer and pianist. During the 1970's he began developing his own unique language for the piano - called Continuous Music - and with it, a stupendous physical and mental technique that is totally unprecedented in the history of the piano. Melnyk, without regard for fame or fortune, has steadfastly devoted his life to the pursuit of pianistic love and excellence, only releasing a few pieces (piano solo or in combination with strings or horns) on vinyl and later on CD-Rs in very small runs.
Lubomyr Melnyk, while finding the contemporary classical music of the time to be far too based on the spectacle, began creating his Continuous Music by rapidly projecting pure chordal sounds (sometime broken) through time, by maintaining a continuous and unbroken stream of tones that build a chain of patterned links, seamless and effervescent, usually with the pedal sustained non-stop. Melnyk has shown a remarkable, almost religious devotion to the piano, always striving to discover new horizons in the physical process of playing the instrument. And as a result, he has carried the art of the piano to unknown and uncharted territories where the mental and physical activities of the piano blend into a meditative and metaphysical dimension.
Melnyk was undoubtedly inspired by the music of Terry Riley and Steve Reich, who had, in turn, been inspired by the Gamelan music of Bali as many of the Minimalists were. Although his music is generally classified as Minimalism, Melnyk strongly refuses that term preferring to call his music Maximalism, much like Charlemagne Palestine, since the player has to generate so many notes to create these fourth dimensions of sound.
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