Swedish Organist Jonas Karlsson
Organist – Pianist – Composer – Improviser
On this short video, I play Chopin’s Prelude in C minor. I play it very slow, to give the music a more meditative quality.
I am going to record several of Chopin’s Preludes for YouTube. This recording was made at the Steinway grand piano in the EFS church in Östersund – Sweden. The recording was made in May, 2021.
This Prelude has been dubbed the”Funeral March”, but is more known as the ”Chord Prelude”, due to its slow progression of chords.
The Swedish pianist Jonas Karlsson improvises on ”Visa från Rättvik”. Recorded in the EFS-church in Östersund/Sweden in November 17, 2020. Piano: Steinway & Sons.
This was a spontaneaus recording, made while I was practising on the piano in the church.
Many people have heard this song in jazz style, with the Swedish pianist Jan Johansson. I’m not really playing it in jazz style, but there is a touch of jazz in this recording.
Swedish Pianist Jonas Karlsson improvises at the Sweinway grand piano, in the EFS Church, Östersund/Sweden.
I have decided to record some short spontaneous improvisation videos, while I practise in the church. This time I decided to improvise on the song The Star Spangled Banner. On this video you will hear the National Anthem of the US + One Variation on the melody. This is an improvisation in D Major.
Recorded in January 25, 2021.
Swedish Pianist Jonas Karlsson improvises a cute little piano piece called ”Up North”. This music is about nostalgy and melancholy. I am remembering my childhood in North Sweden.
This was recorded while I was just sitting at the grand piano, improvising piano music. It sounds a bit like Nordic late romantic piano music.
Recorded November 2, 2020, in the EFS church, Östersund/Sweden.
Grand piano: Steinway & Sons
On this video I improvise a Piano Sonata in D Minor. It is unprepared improvisation, done in the very moment. I am not using the traditional sonata form, but this is just free, wild improvisation. But I am careful to systematically use a few themes, to get some form and structure. The sonata has three movements. In this improvisation I am a bit inspired by Franz Schuberts late piano works.
This is recorded live, during a Piano Recital in Gamla kyrkan, Östersund/Sweden. Date of recording: October 14, 2020.
This is my latest video on YouTube. It was recorded in Mars 2020.
This is the well known pop song ”My Way”. For me, that is an Elvis hit. Because I love the studio recording Elvis did of this song.
I want the song to have the same kind of energy, that you can find in Elvis’ recording. I have often played ”My Way” on my organ recitals, but as a piano encore. After the organ music.
But this recording is not made live. It is made in an empty church, late at night. It is a soft version of the song. I improvise when I play, and I don’t want it to be a virtuoso solo, but something that touches your heart.
Here I am doing some improvisation at the piano, before playing Liszt. Sitting at a Yamaha U1 concert piano. This video is recorded in 2019.
Practicing piano technique can be done in many different ways.
This was in my early days. I was 27, and played three of my own piano compositions live, in a radio studio. They had bought a grand piano for that radio studio, and made a radio program about that instrument.
The composition I played on this recording is Ballad No. 1 in D Minor, Opus 4.
Swedish Organist Jonas Karlsson 