We’ve seen a number of musical cat content material right here at Upworthy, from The Kiffness blowing us all away together with his cat howling duets to a boys choir singing a nineteenth century opera a couple of cat combat composed fully of meows. But by some means we missed one of many best cat collaborations ever—Nora the piano-playing cat being accompanied by a complete skilled chamber orchestra.
In a video resurfaced from 2009, we see Lithuanian composer and conductor Mindaugas Piecaitis main the Klaipeda Chamber Orchestra in an unique piece composed by him…and Nora the Piano Cat. A big display hanging behind the orchestra exhibits Nora on the piano, ready via the orchestral introduction together with her paws on the keys earlier than lastly starting to play her a part of the CATcerto.
Of course, we will see that the piece has been composed round Nora’s notes and never the opposite approach round, however the impact is extraordinary. Nora is making music, and Piecaitis has embellished and illuminated it together with his skilled inventive ear.
The piece is a musical journey, from a gradual hang-out to an upbeat romp and several other layers in between. If you shut your eyes, you may not even notice the piano is being performed by a cat. Even the dissonant chords sound good with Piecaitis association, and it is a formidable feat each for the cat and the composer. (Piecaitis even received to go meet with Nora in person a number of years after their collaborative efficiency. And in fact, in typical cat trend, she solely performed a few notes for him. Nobody could make a cat do something, together with play the piano, which makes Nora’s movies all of the extra pleasant.)
Watch and revel in:
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CATcerto. ORIGINAL PERFORMANCE. Mindaugas Piecaitis, Nora The Piano Cat
Sadly, Nora crossed the rainbow bridge in February of 2024, after , lengthy 19 years together with her people, Betsy and Burnell. As the couple tells it, Nora had been a rescue cat, and in the future they heard some repeated notes coming from the piano. The piano enjoying grew to become an everyday passion for the grey tabby, and after certainly one of Betsy’s piano college students recommended she share Nora’s particular skills on YouTube, she grew to become one of many earliest viral video stars.
The “CATcerto” is however certainly one of many Nora the Piano Cat creations, which span from books to art work, and he or she’s even the principle character in an upcoming animated kids’s present.
“She could also be an animated character now and she’s going to reside on, however she was actual,” Betsy instructed ABC 6 News in Philadelphia. “I simply suppose she wished to ship a message concerning the significance of music and creativity on the earth and I believe she’s going to encourage an entire technology of young musicians and artists.”
Who would not be impressed by a candy kitty plunking away on the piano together with her paws? Watch Nora’s people describe what she meant to them and the sequence that is at the moment within the works:
