METROPOLIS ENSEMBLE PRESENTS
PIANO AS MACHINE: TIMBRE AND TECHNOLOGY OF A MOST FAMILIAR INSTRUMENT
An interactive artistic talk-performance presented by experimental music composer Patrick Higgins and pianist Conrad Tao (“probing intellect and open-hearted vision”, NY Times) to examine the remarkable history of the keyboard with their own theories of the piano (also as part of Higgins’ Crisis Music series and In Visible Roads, Metropolis Ensemble x BLUEPRINTS Piano Festival
Thursday, March 21, 2019
1 Rivington Street / 2nd Floor (Buzzer #1) / New York, NY
6:30pm (doors) / 7:00pm (event)
Tickets: free - RSVP required
Photo credit: © Pedro Barbeito — James Webb I — 2013 — private collection Washington, D.C. (detail)
An artist talk featuring composer Patrick Higgins and pianist Conrad Tao in which the surprising history of the keyboard will be examined from a contemporary and creative perspective — Tao and Higgins will engage their own theories of the piano as a timbral and gestural mechanism against the historical literature for the instrument and within the context of creating new innovative works for one our most overtly established “classical” machines.
This talk will be presented in anticipation of the upcoming premiere of Higgins’ work “Toccata and Fugue” written especially for Tao and developed in close conversation between the two artists.
BLUEPRINTS unites pianists from different musical genres for eclectic concerts that present traditional classical music alongside contemporary works (including premieres), jazz and free improvisation. Co-founded by Daniel Anastasio and Erika Dohi, these unusually varied programs are each inspired by an aesthetic theme or blueprint. In Visible Roads, co-created with Metropolis Ensemble, represents its first major artistic collaboration with another performing organization, with the goal of enriching the community of pianists, composers, and instrumentalists alike through creating and fostering new collaborative relationships.
Yamaha CF6 premium grand piano provided by Yamaha Artist Services New York.
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
