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Nic Gerpe

The Makrokosmos 50 Project

self-released
Release Date: March 17, 2023

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Ghost of the Manticore
Curtain Call Maui - 8 29 22 Review of Ebb & Flow Arts
George Crumb, Makrokosmos Volume 1
Vera Ivanova - Karkata
Fernanda Aoki Navarro - Crumbling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX0CGKVDwh8
Eric Guinivan - Signal
https://youtu.be/SswKk9YHsZY
https://youtu.be/URhgTwuew8I
https://youtu.be/9kKc9y3GvB8
https://youtu.be/3v_iXBlMAAM
https://youtu.be/z3nIpFnafwg
https://youtu.be/IiKBPUVYB5o
https://youtu.be/04aH1Hjajyo
Thomas Osborne - Supernova
1 George Crumb - Makrokosmos Volume I - 1. Primeval Sounds (Genesis I) - Cancer  
2 2. Proteus - Pisces  
3 3. Pastorale (from the Kingdom of Atlantis, ca. 10,000 B.C.) - Taurus  
4 4. Crucifixus [SYMBOL] - Capricorn  
5 5. The Phantom Gondolier - Scorpio  
6 6. Night-Spell I - Sagittarius  
7 7. Music of Shadows (for Aeolian Harp) - Libra  
8 8. The Magic Circle of Infinity (Moto Perpetuo) [SYMBOL] - Leo  
9 9. The Abyss of Time - Virgo  
10 10. Spring-Fire - Aries  
11 11. Dream Images (Love-Death Music) - Gemini  
12 12. Spiral Galaxy [SYMBOL] - Aquarius  
13 Vera Ivanova - Karkata  
14 Fernanda Aoki Navarro - Crumbling  
15 Gernot Wolfgang - The Patience of Water  
16 Eric Guinivan - SIGNAL  
17 Nic Gerpe - Ghost of the Manticore  
18 Alexander Elliott Miller - The Celestial Crown  
19 Viet Cuong - Scaling Back  
20 Julie Herndon - Circle of  
21 Gilda Lyons - The Transcendence of Time  
22 Timothy Peterson - Aries  
23 Juhi Bansal - ... through cracked mirrors  
24 Thomas Osborne - Supernova  
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Pianist Nic Gerpe, a Los Angeles native, has been hailed as “magnetic” (Dan Johnson, L.A. Downtown News) and “prodigious… heroic” (Kevin McMahon, silverlakeblvd.com). L.A. Times music critic Mark Swed described his playing as “wonderfully illuminating… his tone is crystalline. His technique is dazzlingly fluid.” A dedicated proponent of new music, Nic has worked with composers such as Steve Reich, Gernot Wolfgang, Anne LeBaron, Michael Gordon and Donald Crockett, and has given numerous world premieres in the Los Angeles area and abroad. Nic has performed throughout Southern California and at festivals including the Beverly Hills International Music Festival, Banff International Keyboard Festival, the Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice at the New England Conservatory, and the Tahoe Chamber Music Festival. Nic has performed in such venues as Walt Disney Concert Hall, Zipper Hall, the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, and the Roy and Edna Disney Cal Arts Theater. Nic’s performances have also been nationally broadcast on 91.5 KUSC and classicalkusc.org.

As one of four young pianists featured on L.A.-based Piano Spheres’ new Satellite Series, Nic recently performed a critically-acclaimed solo recital at the Roy And Edna Disney Cal Arts Theater. He also gave the world premiere of James Matheson’s “Chapter 1…” at Walt Disney Concert Hall as part of the Radical Light Tribute Concert for Steven Stucky. Nic recently performed on the Green Umbrella series’ “Noon to Midnight” concert, an all-day celebration of contemporary music, at Disney Hall. Nic has also performed on the Sundays Live series, the longest-running live music broadcast in L.A., at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Nic Gerpe, an acclaimed solo and collaborative pianist, is set to release a stunning album commemorating the work of composer George Crumb. The album, titled “The Makrokosmos 50 Project,” pays homage to Crumb’s landmark piece Makrokosmos, Volume 1 for piano solo and will be available for fans to enjoy on March 15, 2023.

Gerpe’s album is a beautiful tribute to the legendary work of George Crumb, and it showcases his exceptional skill and talent as a pianist. The album features Gerpe’s performance of Makrokosmos, Volume 1, and twelve newly composed pieces by an immensely talented and diverse group of composers. Vera Ivanova, Fernanda Aoki Navarro, Gernot Wolfgang, Eric Guinivan, Alexander Elliott Miller, Viet Cuong, Julie Herndon, Gilda Lyons, Timothy Peterson, Juhi Bansal, Thomas Osborne, and Gerpe himself have each written a new piece in response to one movement of Makrokosmos, Volume 1, each inspired by themes and motifs drawn from Crumb. This new celestial cycle is a celebration and commemoration of Crumb’s original masterpiece.

“Crumb’s music in general, but Makrokosmos, Volume I in particular, has been a source of tremendous artistic inspiration for me throughout my musical life,” said Gerpe. “Makrokosmos is loaded with musical and extramusical associations - poetry, spirituality, and big metaphysical and cosmic ideas. To me, however, the most special thing about the piece is its celebration of connections between people - friends, family, teachers, colleagues and those who inspire us, shape our lives and make us who we are.”

“The Makrokosmos 50 Project” is a breathtaking album that is sure to leave a lasting impact on fans of classical and contemporary music. It is a testament to the power of music and the enduring influence of a groundbreaking work like Makrokosmos, Volume 1. Don’t miss out on this incredible tribute to George Crumb’s legacy, brought to life by the exceptional talent of pianist Nic Gerpe.

  • Nic Gerpe discusses his stunning album commemorating the work of George Crumb / 107.5WRUU
    Posted At: November 7, 2023
    Pianist Nic Gerpe, a Los Angeles native, has been hailed as “magnetic” (Dan Johnson, L.A. Downtown News) and “prodigious… heroic” (Kevin McMahon, silverlakeblvd.com). L.A. Times music critic Mark Swed described his playing as “wonderfully illuminating… his tone is crystalline. His technique is dazzlingly fluid.” A dedicated proponent of new music, Nic has worked with composers such as Steve Reich, Gernot Wo...

  • Nic Gerpe chats about 'Makrokosmos, Volume 1' with Florida's WFSU Public Media
    Posted At: June 12, 2023
    Pianist Nic Gerpe, a Los Angeles native, has been hailed as “magnetic” (Dan Johnson, L.A. Downtown News) and “prodigious… heroic” (Kevin McMahon, silverlakeblvd.com). L.A. Times music critic Mark Swed described his playing as “wonderfully illuminating… his tone is crystalline. His technique is dazzlingly fluid.” A dedicated proponent of new music, Nic has worked with composers such as Steve Reich, Gernot Wo...

  • Nic Gerpe chats about 'The Makrokosmos 50 Project' with 'Cooler Classics'
    Posted At: May 16, 2023
    Pianist Nic Gerpe, a Los Angeles native, has been hailed as “magnetic” (Dan Johnson, L.A. Downtown News) and “prodigious… heroic” (Kevin McMahon, silverlakeblvd.com). L.A. Times music critic Mark Swed described his playing as “wonderfully illuminating… his tone is crystalline. His technique is dazzlingly fluid.” A dedicated proponent of new music, Nic has worked with composers such as Steve Reich, Gernot Wo...

  • Brilliant performances by Nic Gerpe on new recording of George Crumb's innovative, landmark: 'Makrokosmos' / Sequenza21/
    Posted At: April 29, 2023
    Sequenza21/'s Paul Muller writes…..A new recording of the March 2022 performance by pianist Nic Gerpe of Makrokosmos Volume I, by George Crumb is now available for digital download. In 1972 George Crumb composed his Makrokosmos Volume I, a major 20th Century work for solo piano. To mark the 50th anniversary of this innovative piece, Nic Gerpe performed all twelve sections in concert on March 15, 2022. As Ge...

  • Nic Gerpe shows enormous pianistic versatility and beautiful playing on 'The Makrokosmos 50 Project' / ALL ABOUT THE ARTS
    Posted At: March 13, 2023
    Nic Gerpe, an acclaimed solo and collaborative pianist, is set to release a stunning album commemorating the work of composer George Crumb. The album, titled “The Makrokosmos 50 Project,” pays homage to Crumb’s landmark piece Makrokosmos, Volume 1 for piano solo and will be available for fans to enjoy on March 15, 2023.Gerpe’s album is a beautiful tribute to the legendary work of George Crumb, and it showca...

  • You feel as if you're in the room with Nic Gerpe listening to his extraordinary 'Makrokosmos Book I / THE ART MUSIC LOUNGE
    Posted At: March 13, 2023
    ART MUSIC LOUNGE - Lynn René Bayley writes…..Nic Gerpe is a Los Angeles-based pianist whose passion and specialty is modern music, thus you’ve probably never heard of him (I hadn’t). Here, he celebrates the 50th anniversary of George Crumb’s Makrokosmos with performances of Book I, supplemented by original compositions of other composers, including himself, inspired by Makrokosmos.The title is a reversal of...

  • George Crumb: Makrokosmos at 50 - Nic Gerpe provides a fine tribute to an immensely influential composer / Sequenza21/
    Posted At: March 23, 2022
    Sequenza21/ - Paul Muller writes…..On March 15, 2022 Brightwork Newmusic and Tuesdays at Monk Space presented New Universes: George Crumb’s Makrokosmos at 50. The concert, featuring pianist Nic Gerpe, consisted of the first volume of zodiac music by George Crumb as well as twelve new pieces inspired by Makrokosmos . These made up the movements of The Makrokosmos 50 Project, the second work on the concert pr...
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