Metropolis composer and pianist Timothy Andres plays a live set for Hammered! on WQXR’s online station, Q2, hosted by Metropolis artist Conor Hanick.
“There’s something irresistibly raw and unpredictable about live performance, and when they’re of the caliber we’ll hear this week, few musical experiences can compare. Kicking off the week is a collection of pieces taken from three concerts.
Pianist / composer Timothy Andres pairs one of his own works, Everything Is An Onion, with a movement from Charles Ives’ Concord Sonata in a live performance taken from the Ecstatic Music …

WQXR host Nadia Sirota previews an upcoming Q2 Live Concert at the 2011 MATA Festival.
“The 2011 MATA Festival residency at (Le) Poisson Rouge spans three nights… Metropolis Ensemble closes out the festival on May 12 with works ranging from Brad Balliett and Elliot Cole’s hip-hopera, The Rake, to pieces from Chilean-born, 20-year old Remmy Canedo and New York’s own Ryan Carter.”
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WNYC’s John Schaefer of Soundcheck sat down with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Steve Reich and Metropolis composer Timothy Andres on April 27, 2011, in celebration of Steve’s 75th birthday.
“Pianist/composer Timothy Andres made it to numerous top-10 lists last year with his debut album, Shy and Mighty. He also raised eyebrows with an eclectic list of influences that ranges from Radiohead and LCD Soundsystem to today’s other guest, Steve Reich. We hear Andres’ distinctive musical voice, as he joins us to play live in our studio.”
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Metropolis composer Ryan Francis introduces his new album, Works for Piano on back-to-back broadcasts for Hammered! on WQXR’s online station, Q2, hosted by Metropolis artist Conor Hanick, from April 25-29, 2011.
“On this specially curated week of Hammered! we spotlight a new album of piano music by New York-based composer Ryan Anthony Francis. The record features Bang On A Can pianist Vicky Chow, who, with Francis, joins Hammered! throughout the week with insights on this exquisite new body of piano music.
Among the diverse cast of characters looking over Francis’s compositional shoulder …

WQXR featured the Metropolis concert Hallucinations in a live recording for their online station, Q2 Live Concerts on April 13, 2011.
“Hallucinations, Metropolis Ensemble’s recent production at (Le) Poisson Rouge, was a mind-bending juxtaposition of acoustic, orchestral instruments with electronics. This pair of concerts on January 27 and 28 featured four world premieres and one New York premiere by John Corigliano, Du Yun, Gity Razaz, Ricardo Romaneiro and Enrico Chapela.
Composers have often drawn inspiration from the written word and in this particular concert Razaz explores the myth of Narcissus. Yun bases …

A broadcast mention and blog post by WNYC’s Morning Edition on NPR for Metropolis Ensemble’s Hallucinations concert on January 27-28, 2011. WNYC is also offering a free MP3 download of Jakub Ciupinski’s “Flashbacks.”
“Metropolis Ensemble presents a seductive vision of classical music’s future: young violin virtuosos and guys in jeans playing pieces on laptops. Together, they make music that is both emotionally stirring and progressive. Since its founding in 2006, the ensemble has worked towards making itself an orchestra for the iPod generation—doing things like remixing Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” …

Michael Barone of KSJN Minneapolis on Avner Dorman’s Concertos:
“Intrigued by Baroque music since childhood, Dorman has created a collection of ‘modern’ pieces imbued with the formal clarity and rhythmic energy of 18th century music. Make no mistake, these pieces sound ‘new’, but they also sound fresh and friendly, and surprisingly ‘original’, despite the obvious derivations. Performances are breathtakingly fine, and if you pass by this album you’re missing out on a disarmingly satisfying production. Go for it!”
Listen to the broadcast:

Sterling Beeaff named Avner Dorman’s Concertos the CD of the Week on KBAQ Phoenix, hailing the recording as “new and delightful… a guilty pleasure… a journey of light and color… and a generous doorway into something new.” Listen to the broadcast:

WNYC host David Garland discusses the wild re-imagining of Stravinski’s The Rite of Spring with composer Ricardo Romaneiro and music director Andrew Cyr. Read the article…

Metropolis Ensemble and Deerhoof perform a concert from the Wordless Music Series, recorded live by WNYC at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, NY. The concert and interview are hosted by David Garland. Listen to the broadcast…