Photos 1, 2, 4 & 5 Jon Vincent/VANDOCUMENT, 3 Paul Wong, 6 SD Holman
Color Codes (2013)
10′ for prepared piano, 2 hands
Miniatures from Lessing Stories (2009-2014)
10′ for prepared piano, 2 hands and 4 hands
Prepared piano (objects placed inside the piano to change the timbre) and extended piano (playing the piano using parts beyond the piano keys) creates fascinating mystery, a spellbinding sense of unexpected beauty. Alterations create a bridge between performer, composer and the abstract. Precise notation yields perfect imperfection – timbral and rhythmic variation beyond what is regularly experienced. A sense of wonder ensues; the results seem at once more (range in timbre and volume) and less (predictability) than one would expect. Color codes, written for Rachel lwaasa and commissioned by Music on Main, is in three sections, each of which focuses on particular shades of piano preparation: five, midrange, and bendy. Lessing Stories is in multiple sections, each inspired by the writings of the late Doris Lessing, written for piano solo and duet. The preparations are flexible, changeable; each part meditates upon kaleidoscopic resonance of sounds, as if viewing an object from multiple perspectives, finding all the hues present from different angles and with varied light. These will be followed by free improvisation.
Curator: SD Holman