Last summer, I went to Iceland to record Nico Muhly's Drones & Piano. I planned to spend two days in the studio, walk around Rejkavik, go to the Blue Lagoon, and fly back to New York. When I arrived at Greenhouse Studios, the door was opened by Nadia Sirota. I had no idea she was going to be there. According to Nadia, she "kind of Jedi Mind Tricked" me into recording another of Nico's drone pieces with her, Drones & Viola -- after I … [Read more...]
Piscatorial
It's hard to remember musical life before the Poisson Rouge. Four years ago this summer, I started playing and hearing music at the club (the former Village Gate). It's not overstatement to say that LPR has reflected, and also played a role in big changes in American musical life. The range of people who stop by is crazy. After I played in a performance of the Quartet for the End of Time, Nico Muhly's mother introduced herself. One night it was … [Read more...]
“large capable hands”
Every hand is different. Often large hands or hands with wide reach are thought to be an advantage in piano playing. In general, hands are getting bigger as bodies do. That makes some big stretches in old keyboard music more accessible, and less risky. Very wide fingers are a difficulty. It may be impossible to play in between the piano's black keys -- as it was for Walter Gieseking. We know that a few players of the modern piano (Daniel … [Read more...]
Virtual Instrument
notes on my program at the Gilmore Festival last week The piano has always been a virtual instrument. "Virtual" in the sense that for a phrase the keyboardist could sing, or dance, or speak -- by turns, taking on the musical or expressive persona of an Italian coloratura soprano, a violin virtuoso, a country dancer, a marching soldier, or then a whole orchestra, or a madrigal group reading from part books. Robert Schumann commented that … [Read more...]
The Discreet Charm of the Musical Middle Class
In Pennsylvania, at Bucknell University I had my first outing with Nico Muhly's new piano piece, Drones & Piano. Shhh -- don't tell. This was a "pre-premiere." The premiere will take place at the Gilmore Festival on May 7. (The Gilmore commissioned the new piece.) I will play Drones & Piano in at least four public performances (Smith College, Holy Cross, Bucknell) before the "premiere." That makes sense, and it's duplicitous. Maybe … [Read more...]