Keys to the Future is presenting an evening of contemporary four hand piano works this coming Monday, February 9 at 8PM, at a free concert at Mannes College’s Concert Hall. As the date approaches, I thought I’d write a few words about a couple of the pieces on this concert, both of which will be premieres:

The first is a piano duet version of Arvo Pärt’s 1976 organ piece Pari Intervallo. Manon Hutton-DeWys and Evi Jundt will give the this version of Pari Intervallo its U.S. premiere. I heard them rehearse it earlier in the week, and it’s similar to his other works of that period in its use of the style known as “Tintinnabulum”, first introduced in Pärt’s Für Alina (1976) and Spiegel Im Spiegel (1978). Pari Intervallo definitely casts a spell, and I would be surprised if this doesn’t become a very popular work for piano duos.

Here are a few comments from composer Bruce Stark about his Four, which will be played by virtuosos Karén Hakobian and Gabriel Escudero:

Four is a set of variations based on two themes: one is quick and syncopated, the other broadly lyrical. The title refers to a predominant structural motif of  the piece: four variations, four hands, 4/4 time, and the lyrical theme is (mostly) comprised of four phrases of four notes moving up (or down) a scale. Every variation uses both themes, providing contrast and imparting a sonata-like quality to some of the music. There is no definitive presentation of the material; each variation offers a version, like viewing the same object through four different lenses.

Bruce will be unable to make the concert, as he lives in Tokyo, but through the magic of the internet he has been guiding the pianists on their interpretation of this robust piece.

I’ll try and post here again tomorrow about a couple of the other pieces on the program, which are Andrew List’s Mystical Journey (2005), William Bolcom’s Recuerdos No. 1 (1985), Doug Opel’s Dilukkenjon (2002), and Steve Reich’s seminal Piano Phase (1967), which will be performed by the awesomely talented Keys regulars Blair McMillen snd Stephen Gosling.

“Keys to the Future: SPOTLIGHT on Four Hand Piano” will take place Monday, February 9 at 8PM at Mannes College’s Concert Hall in New York. Admission is free. For complete information about this concert and about our upcoming “SPOTLIGHT on Minimalism” concert (April 5) and our annual 3-day Festival of contemporary solo piano music (May 19-21), please check out our newly updated website:

http://www.keystothefuture.org/

Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you there.

Joseph Rubenstein, Artistic Director, Keys to the Future

The Keys to the Future festival, at Greenwich House’s Renee Weiler Concert Hall, presents 3 consecutive nights of recent solo piano music – each concert features 4 pianists. The fundamental premise of this festival is that the contemporary scene is characterized by unprecedented diversity, and that that is a good thing. On these poly-stylistic programs, sometimes the only thing that two given pieces on one of our programs have in common is that they are notated and contemporary. I prefer this to a concert of works all in the same style – when a post-minimalist work follows an atonal modernist work on the same program, they tend to highlight characteristics in each other in interesting and unexpected ways. Audiences have really responded to this aspect of the shows.

A few words about a couple of the pieces on Evening 3 (Thursday, March 27 at 8PM). Bang on a Can alumnus Lisa Moore, virtuoso Tatjana Rankovich, Yukiko Tanaka and I will play works of Chick Corea, Kevin Puts, Ingram Marshall, John Adams, Arvo Pärt, Bruce Stark and Robert Muczynski.

Here are a few comments from composer Kevin Puts about his “Alternating Currents”, which will be played by Lisa Moore: “Writing piano music is a daunting task due to the enormous repertoire of great works pianists already have available to them. So in my preliminary improvisations for Alternating Current I allowed myself to gravitate toward the aspects of piano pieces I have studied since childhood: the motoric clarity of toccatas by Bach, the ennobling harmonic progressions of Beethoven’s slow movements, the terrifying neurosis of Ravel’s Scarbo. The title refers to the use of alternating meter which occurs in all three movements, and also to the flowing nature, which characterizes the entire work. The movement that will be performed by Lisa Moore is quick and Baroque. Like the other two movements, this movement ‘alternates’ in mode as well as meter, shifting between the key signatures of D and F.”

And a few words from composer Robert Muczynski about his “Desperate Measures (Paganini Variations)”, which Tatjana Rankovich will play: “It was 1992, and I was at a loss as to what direction to take for my next composition. Over the years I’d produced a considerable amount of solo piano music as well as sonatas and trios for instruments of all sorts of combinations. One evening I was enjoying a drink with a good friend and remarked ‘I know it may sound like a silly idea, but ever since I was a music student I had this notion of doing some piano variations on the Paganini “Caprice” – and now I think I’d like to have a crack at it; I must be desperate!’ That’s how the title (and pun) came about, Desperate Measures… It consists of the theme and twelve variations. My variations are not grand, etude-like, nor European-born (Brahms, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, etc.)… I think of them more as entertainments.”

Chick Corea’s “Children’s Songs” are lively and brief, little capsules like the Chopin Preludes; “China Gates” is probably familiar to many of you, but this is Lisa’s first time performing it, so I know she will bring her own special flair to it; Ingram Marshall’s “Authentic Presence” is profound and totally unique; and Bruce Stark’s “Fugue, Interlude and Finale” is a whirlwind tour de force, which is tailor-made for Tatjana’s take-no-prisoners style. Hope to see you there! For more complete info, please check www.keystothefuture.org.

Thanks!
Joseph Rubenstein
Artistic Director, Keys to the Future

The Keys to the Future festival, at Greenwich House’s Renee Weiler Concert Hall, presents 3 consecutive nights of recent solo piano music – each concert features 4 pianists. The fundamental premise of this festival is that the contemporary scene is characterized by unprecedented diversity, and that that is a good thing. On these poly-stylistic programs, sometimes the only thing that two given pieces on one of our programs have in common is that they are notated and contemporary. I prefer this to a concert of works all in the same style – when a post-minimalist work follows an atonal modernist work on the same program, they tend to highlight characteristics in each other in interesting and unexpected ways. Audiences have really responded to this aspect of the shows.

On Evening 2, Amy Briggs Dissanayake, David Friend (winner of our first young artists competition), Stephen Gosling and I will play works of Chester Biscardi, Hans Otte, David Rakowski, Martin Kennedy, Charles Wuorinen, William Bolcom, John Musto, Elena Kats-Chernin, John Halle and Derek Bermel. Now a few words about a couple of the pieces.

Pianist Amy Briggs Dissanayake has become the leading new music pianist in Chicago, and is a great performer and protégé of Ursula Oppens. On the first half of Wednesday’s concert, she will play four etudes of David Rakowski. She has recorded two CDs of them, and is about to do a third. Two of them marry jazz styles (stride piano in “Strident” and bop in “Bop it”) to harmonies that sound post-Schoenbergian. One of them (“Plucking A”) has Amy doing all kinds of things inside the piano – in addition to occasional notes played normally on the keys, it exploits, in an eerily beautiful way, harmonics, plucked strings, and stopped (or muted) tones, in which one hand damps the strings near the pins while the other strikes the keys. The fourth Etude (“Martler”) is about hand crossings, and makes a stunning musical and visual effect on stage.

On the second half, Amy will close the concert with five contemporary ragtime pieces by Bolcom, Musto, Kats-Chernin, Halle and Bermel. All five of these talented composers take the basic ragtime concept in five different directions. Derek Bermel’s “Carnaval Noir” is summarized by the composer as “Ragtime meets South American street fair.” This set will be a lot of fun, and will cap a very diverse program – Otte’s piece combines minimalism with improvisatory elements, Charles Wuorinen’s “Bagatelle” is quiet and haunting, and the rest…well, hopefully you will see and hear for yourself. For more detailed info, please check our website www.keystothefuture.org. Hope to see you at the shows! Please look for some notes on Evening 3’s program in a day or two…

Joseph Rubenstein
Artistic Director, Keys to the Future

The Keys to the Future festival, at Greenwich House’s Renee Weiler Concert Hall, presents 3 consecutive nights of recent solo piano music – each concert has 4 pianists. The fundamental premise of this festival is that the contemporary scene is characterized by unprecedented diversity, and that that is a good thing. Each of the 3 evenings presents some strange juxtapositions of styles – sometimes the only thing that two pieces on one of our programs have in common is that they are notated and contemporary. I prefer this to a concert of works all in the same style – when a post-minimalist work follows an atonal modernist work on the same program, they tend to highlight characteristics in each other in interesting and unexpected ways. Audiences have really responded to this aspect of the shows.

A few words about a couple of the pieces. On Evening 1, Marina Lomazov, Blair McMillen, Tatjana Rankovich and I will play works of Louis Andriessen, Poul Ruders, Joan Tower, John Fitz Rogers, Joseph Rubenstein and Henry Martin. Andriessen’s “The Memory of Roses” presents a particularly intimate and personal side of the composer’s work. Over the last 4 decades, Andriessen has written short pieces for family and friends, often performed at birthdays. He decided to collect 20 of these pieces, and I will be playing the 7 of these works that are for solo piano. These are very small-scale charming works with all kinds of stylistic influences, from Chopin and Chabrier to Stravinsky and Cage. Speaking of the latter, one of these short works (“Chorale”) was written and completed the day John Cage died and is a moving tribute. There is another piece that can be played on music box or piano (I’ll play it on piano), that uses exclusively the highest register of the piano, to beautiful effect.

Closing Evening 1, the phenomenal virtuoso and new music champion Tatjana Rankovich will play 4 Preludes and Fugues by Henry Martin. Henry has composed Preludes and Fugues in each key – obviously, they look back to Bach but they are also firmly rooted in the present – particularly the Preludes, but even the Fugues manage to sound contemporary. (This is not easy to do.) There isn’t any way to pigeonhole these pieces – neo-Baroque and neo-Romantic both apply to some extent, but none capture the totality of the music. The final Prelude and Fugue, in one movement and subtitled “A Slow Drag,” is a technical tour de force and a lot of fun – it closes Opening Night of our little festival down at Greeenwich House.

The Rogers “Variations” is a monumental neo-Romantic work of ‘face-melting’ virtuosity – Marina plays the hell out of it. Tower’s “Throbbing Still” is aggressive and viscerally powerful, and Blair plays the hell out of it. The Ruders has minimalist and jazz influences. My “Romance No. 2 (aurora)” is a flowing, hybrid work in which I express my love for the instrument. For more info, please check our website www.keystothefuture.org. Hope to see you at the shows! I’ll write some more notes tomorrow about Evening 2.

Joseph Rubenstein
Artistic Director, Keys to the Future