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Swiss musician plays daily piano concert dangling in mid-air

Alain Roche playing pianoImage source, Reuters
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The performance will change over time

If you're not a morning person, then this feat certainly won't be music to your ears.

Swiss musician Alain Roche is getting up before sunrise over 182 days to play his piano and, did we mention, he'll be doing this dangling from a crane?

Alain is playing Winter Solstice, a piece of music he composed from 22 December 2023 - the day of winter solstice - until 20 June 2024.

Since the start of his mid-air concerts the pianist says he has been "changing it a little every day, depending on the sounds of nature" - so that the music changes with the seasons.

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Image source, Reuters
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Alain plans to play for 182 consecutive days

How does Alain play his piano piece?

The pianist wants to play each morning from solstice to solstice, whilst suspended in the air.

As he continues to incorporate the sounds he hears in nature the piece will slowly change into Summer Solstice which he will then play at concert in his home country of Switzerland.

The musician uses special microphones to capture the sounds of nature, which are played out while he performs his piano piece.

Alain described nature as "an eternal cycle that is changing" and it is this which he is hoping to reflect in his performances.

Image source, Reuters
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Alain's performances set the bar very high

At dawn on Monday 5 February Alain entertained a crowd in Munich, Germany, whilst being suspended 10 metres above the ground.

In 2013 he played above a crowd of around 1500 people whilst hanging off a crane.

This was to help mark the re-opening of a museum in Geneva, Switzerland.

What do you think of Alain's latest challenge? Could you get up early that many days in a row, or would it be a pia-no thank you from you?