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ZOFO

Plays Terry Riley

Sono Luminus

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Zofo - Terry Riley: Cinco de Mayo
Boogie
Robert M. Greenberg
ZOFO performing live in Brisbane, Australia
ZOFO Q&A with Musica Viva Australia

Audios

Interview with KMFA's John Clare
Interview with WCPE - Preview

Tour Dates

04/09/2019 - Berkeley Piano Club / Berkeley, CA
04/14/2019 - San Francisco Conservatory of Music / San Francisco, CA
04/17/2019 - Arizona Friends of Chamber Music / Tucson, AZ
04/18/2019 - Arizona Friends of Chamber Music / Tucson, AZ
05/07/2019 - Melbourne Recital Centre / Melbourne, Australia
05/09/2019 - Qld Conservatorium Theatre / Brisbane, Australia
05/11/2019 - Melbourne Recital Centre / Melbourne, Australia
05/13/2019 - City Recital Hall / Sydney, Australia
05/16/2019 - Newcastle Conservatorium / Newcastle, Australia
05/21/2019 - Perth Concert Hall / Perth, Australia
05/23/2019 - Adelaide Town Hall / Adelaide, Australia
05/25/2019 - City Recital Hall / Sydney, Australia
05/28/2019 - Llewellyn Hall / Canberra, Australia
06/19/2019 - Spring Lake Village / Santa Rosa, CA
09/15/2019 - Old First Concerts / San Francisco, CA
1 Etude from the Old Country
2 Jaztine
3 Tango Doble Ladiado
4 Half-Wolf Dances Mad in Moonlight
5 Simone's Lullaby
6 G Song
7 Praying Mantis Rag
8 Waltz for Charismas
9 Cinco de Mayo
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ZOFO is at it again, this time with an all Terry Riley album, which includes original compositions, arrangements and a special commission by the duet. It is quite evident in this music that the composer and the performers were personally engaged in the making of this electrifying project. From the very beginning, Terry Riley worked in collaboration with ZOFO in the making of this album. Mr. Riley himself said: "There is nothing quite like hearing the full 8 octaves of a piano sounding in all its orchestral richness." He certainly makes full use of the sounds of the piano in the pieces originally written for piano-four-hands, from The Heaven Ladder, Book 5, which include the varying "Cinco de Mayo," "Jaztine," "Waltz for Charismas," "Tango Doble Ladiado," and "Etude From the Old Country." Keisuke arranged "G Song" and "Half-Wolf Dances Mad in Moonlight," which were originally composed for the Kronos Quartet, and Eva arranged "Simone's Lullaby," originally for solo piano. The arrangements were both challenging and fun to create, but ZOFO managed to keep the transparency and flavor of Riley's originals while exemplifying the unique potential for four-hand piano. The "Praying Mantis Rag" was composed especially for ZOFO, and actively illustrates their vibrant character as a duet.

  • ZOFO duo melds piano with paintings in engaging, inventive performance / Twin Cities - Pioneer Press
    Posted At: November 18, 2021

    Twin Cities - Pioneer Press - SHEILA REGAN writes.....On Wednesday night at Park Square Theatre, guests of the Schubert Club were treated to a sound and sensory experience. The stunning piano playing duo ZOFO, made up of Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi, brought paintings by artists from around the world to life through their dance-like playing. They guided listeners on a journey through a kind...

  • With 9 dates in 9 Australian cities this month, ZOFO speaks with MusicaVivaAustralia
    Posted At: May 17, 2019

    p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} Playing one piano with four hands – but a unified artistic mind – is about the most intimate form of chamber music there is. Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi are ZOFO; a ‘20-Finger Or...

  • Terry Riley's Sri Moonshine series closes with ZOFO, Barbara Higbie & Sarah Cahill / The Union of Grass Valley
    Posted At: August 24, 2017

    This Friday through Sunday Aug 25-27, at the Grand Piano Weekend of Contemporary Music, is the conclusion to the second season of Terry Riley's Sri Moonshine Music series at the Camptonville Community Center. The series begins with ZOFO, the four-hands(Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi) who have electrified audiences from Tokyo to Carnegie Hall and the Sierras. A 20-finger orchestr...

  • Zofo set for west coast premiere of Akira Nishimura's 'Samudra Manthan' / SFGATE
    Posted At: June 28, 2017

    The piano duo of Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi, who perform as Zofo, boast a wonderful combination of turbulent energy and keen precision, in a musical arena that calls for both qualities. The duo are set to play this Friday, June 30 at Sacramento's Old First Presbyterian Church.  It's just the sort of big sound that is made for tackling matters of immense - even astronomical -...

  • InConcert Sierra set to present ZOFO's 20 finger orchestra / The Union
    Posted At: January 13, 2017

    InConcert Sierra will present an exhilarating start to the New Year with a performance by the Bay Area-based ZOFO piano four-hands ensemble that will bring "fireworks" to the Grass Valley stage Jan. 15, according to Artistic Director Ken Hardin. ZOFO - which stands for 20 Finger Orchestra - features pianists Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi. The duo's performances have earned them a Grammy nomi...

  • ZOFO set for 9th annual Switchboard Music Festival / KALW Radio
    Posted At: June 15, 2016

    We're all familiar with the sound of a pianist playing a piano. But it's less often that we hear TWO pianists playing a piano. And that's exactly what you see and hear with the ZOFO duet. Since joining forces in 2009, pianists Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi – ZOFO - have electrified audiences from Carnegie Hall to Tokyo Japan with their dazzling artistry and outside-the-box thematic pro...

  • ZOFO Plays Terry Riley - KUAF Radio
    Posted At: June 8, 2016

    "There is nothing quite like hearing the full 8 octaves of a piano sounding in all its orchestral richness," states composer Terry Riley. Piano duet ZOFO ( Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi ) teams up with Riley to fully explore the potential of four-hand piano compositions within the scope of the revered composers signature style. The result was - ZOFO Plays Terry R...

  • ZOFO returns to Old First Concerts with old and new repertoire / examiner.com
    Posted At: May 24, 2016

    Yesterday afternoon at Old First Church, the ZOFO duo of pianists Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi returned to give their latest recital in the Old First Concerts series. This was their first visit since March of 2014, when they had presented the second of two programs consisting entirely of premieres. Yesterday afternoon's program offered only two relatively short premieres. However, it also i...

  • ZOFO's Terry Riley. Next month@The Kitchen / JazzCorner
    Posted At: April 29, 2016

    Grammy-nominated Steinway Artist Ensemble ZOFO performs duet works from their critically-acclaimed album, ZOFO Plays Terry Riley (released May 2015), including pieces written by Terry Riley for four-hands piano: "Etude from the Old Country," "Waltz for Charismas," "Cinco de Mayo," and "Half-Wolf Dances Mad in Moonlight" at NYC's The Kitchen (512 West 19th Street),  The duo will also present ...

  • HCCA will open season with ZOFORBIT / Press Enterprise
    Posted At: October 22, 2015

    The Hemet Community Concert Association is breaking one of its rules for the season-opening concert on Sunday, Oct. 25: never repeat a performer within a short time period. Less than two years since their last performance for the group, ZOFO piano duet will return to present other-worldly music in a program titled "ZOFORBIT." ZOFO stands for 20 Finger Orchestra, with the Z and O representing the numb...

  • KUHA: Classical Classroom / ZOFO - Twenty Fingers
    Posted At: September 21, 2015

    Since joining forces as a professional duo in 2009, internationally acclaimed solo pianists Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi – ZOFO - have electrified audiences from Carnegie Hall to Tokyo Japan with their dazzling artistry and outside-the-box thematic programming for piano-four-hands.  This GRAMMY- nominated, prize-winning Steinway Artist Ensemble – one of only a handful of du...

  • WCPE Radio - Wake Forest interviews Zofo
    Posted At: July 27, 2015

    WCPE Radio in Wake Forest NC spoke with the Grammy Award nominated, prize-winning Steinway Artists Ensemble ZOFO this week on "Preview!" The group's name is derived from shorthand for "20 Finger Orchestra". Since 20089, pianists Keisuke Nakagoshi and Eva-Maria Zimmerman have been forging a new path for piano-four-hands with their annual commissions. Their latest release, ZOFO Play Terry Riley, includ...

  • New Classical Tracks: ZOFO Plays Terry Riley
    Posted At: July 8, 2015

    Listen to Julie Amacher's New Classical Tracks interview with Zofo. New Classical Tracks is a Syndicated feature airing Nationally on PRI: Classical 24 & Statewide on Minnesota Public Radio & on Classical South Florida. READ THE TRANSCRIPT - Swiss pianist Eva Maria Zimmerman met Keisuke Nakagoshi six years ago in San Francisco. Keisuke grew up in Japan and never intended to make music his...

  • Zofo Plays Terry Riley - KMFA Interview
    Posted At: June 24, 2015

    LISTEN TO KMFA: Austin INTERVIEW WITH ZOFO READ THE POST - Composer and performer Terry Riley is one of the founders of music's Minimalist movement. Wednesday, June 24th, 2015 marks Riley's 80th birthday! His early works, notably In C (1964), pioneered a form in Western music based on structured interlocking repetitive patterns. The influence of Riley's hypnotic, multi-layered, polymetric, bright...

  • ZOFO provides perfect way to mark Terry Riley's 80th birthday / The Baltimore Sun
    Posted At: June 24, 2015

    If you want to take note of Terry Riley's 80th birthday on June 24 -- and who doesn't? -- dive into a new CD from the piano team of Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi, known as ZOFO. That's what I'm doing today. The release from from the Sono Luminus label, "ZOFO Plays Terry Riley," provides more than an hour of extremely cool repertoire from the godfather of minimalism. There...

  • Zofo Plays Terry Riley - KDFC: Download Of the Week
    Posted At: June 23, 2015

    Each week KDFC: San Francisco members can download a free mp3 from some of the biggest releases in the world of Classical music. Powerhouse piano duo ZOFO has recently released - ZOFO Plays Terry Riley, a compelling collection of the minimalist master's 4-hand piano works, on Sono Luminus. The "All Riley" disc is the product of a fruitful collaboration between internationally acclaimed pianists Eva-M...

  • Zofo Plays Terry Riley - Second Inversion
    Posted At: June 22, 2015

    With piano, the musical possibilities are so vast that sometimes your biggest limitation is the fact you only have two hands-which is why internationally acclaimed solo pianists Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi teamed up to create ZOFO, a four-hand piano duo committed to performing contemporary classical music. ZOFO, which is shorthand for 20-finger orchestra (ZO=20 and FO=finger orchestra)...

  • ZOFO celebrates Terry Riley's 80th Birthday with new disc / Minnesota Public Radio
    Posted At: June 22, 2015

    Minnesota Public Radio's - Learning To Listen with Emily Reese is Syndicated throughout the state. LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW WITH ZOFO HERE'S THE TRANSCRIPT - American composer Terry Riley is known as one of the fathers of a musical style called minimalism. His 1964 piece titled In C is considered one the first "minimalist" compositions, and it changed the landscape of classical music in the 20...

  • Zofo Plays Terry Riley - Washington Post
    Posted At: June 20, 2015

    The piano duet - where four hands squeeze together on one keyboard - hasn't always enjoyed a stellar reputation. Surely not as distinctive as the exalted solo tradition and not as bold as the deluxe two-piano configuration, the lowly four-hands duet has nonetheless attracted many of the greats, from Mozart and Schubert to Debussy and Ligeti. The American minimalist pioneer Terry Riley has made his ow...

  • ZOFO will showcase new album@Kronos - Terry Riley Festival
    Posted At: May 26, 2015

    ZOFO is set to play the Kronos' Terry Riley Festival in San Francisco on Saturday June 27th at the Joe Henderson Lab@Jazz Center. The festival which runs between June 26-28 honors and celebrates the composer's 80th birthday on June 24th.    The 90 minute event includes a moderated Public Conversation with Terry Riley and Kronos Quartet founder David...

  • Zofo Plays Terry Riley is the WFMT: New Release Of the Week
    Posted At: May 24, 2015

    Zofo is at it again, this time with an all-Terry Riley album, which includes original compositions, arrangements and a special commission by the duet. It is quite evident in this music that the composer and the performers were personally engaged in the making of this electrifying project. Riley himself said: "There is nothing quite like hearing the full 8 octaves of a piano sounding in all its orchestral...

  • Zofo Plays Terry Riley - Buffalo News review
    Posted At: May 18, 2015

    "Zofo Plays Terry Riley" (Sono Luminus, disc plus Blue Ray). Terry Riley will be 80 at the end of June. Though Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Michael Nyman and early John Adams are what the classical music public usually thinks of as "minimalism" in music, it is, perhaps, Terry Riley, more than anyone who was the precursor of them all with his '60s music along with La Monte Young. And it is, among the l...

  • Zofo plays San Francisco's Forte House / KALW Radio
    Posted At: January 30, 2015

    "Jaw-dropping awesome!"  That's what the San Francisco Chronicle says about today's local music: the four-hand piano duo known as ZOFO. Their latest recording - ZOFORBIT, is the third album from dynamic Steinway Ensemble and Grammy nominees, and duo members Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi embark on a musical voyage through the galaxy, with mesmerizing, outer space themed pia...

  • Zofo's Zoforbit - Interview on New Classical Tracks
    Posted At: August 6, 2014

    "The piano four-hands is very unique and a very interesting form of chamber music. One that's very intimate compared to other forms of chamber music," says Keisuke Nakagoshi of the duo ZOFO. It's really the best of both worlds, he adds, because when you're playing piano duets, you're both a solo pianist and a chamber musician at the same time. "And on top of those, there's an elem...

  • Zofo's twenty-finger orchestra / Interview with KBIA Radio
    Posted At: July 25, 2014

    When you were growing up did you play classical music? Did you have your own instrument? The classical classical duo Zofo - made up of Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi - play one piano. At the same time. KBIA's Trevor Harris  recently talked with the duo by phone about the nature of playing one piano with four hands, the process of commissioning new music for their repertoire and their...

  • ZOFO Duet interview on KUAF: Of Note with Katy Henriksen
    Posted At: July 10, 2014

    Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi of the ZOFO Duet made their own arrangement of the epic Holst orchestral work "The Planets" for one piano with four hands and included it on their new release Zoforbit: A Space Odyssey. They talk with  Katy Henriksen about why playing piano duet is akin to being a soloist and chamber artist all at once. Listen to the Of Note interview on KUAF: Fayetteville,...

  • Listen to Zofo Interview on Toledo OH's - WGTE
    Posted At: July 7, 2014

    ZOFORBIT, the third album from dynamic Steinway Artist Ensemble ZOFO, follows Grammy nominees Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi as they embark on a musical voyage through the galaxy, with mesmerizing, outer space themed piano duet works. Join WGTE - Toledo OH Brad Cresswell for a preview of Zofo's latest album, which features outer space-themed works by by four noted composers of the 20...

  • ZOFO Duet - Zoforbit / Classical KING: Second Inversion review and interview
    Posted At: June 30, 2014

    ZOFO Duet (shorthand for 20-finger orchestra… ZO=20 and FO=finger orchestra), is a fresh chamber ensemble with a vision to embrace exciting classics like Stravinsky's Rite of Spring for piano four-hands and expand the repertoire by commissioning works by new composers including Pulitzer Prize winner William Bolcom, Gabriela Lena Frank, and Terry Riley. Pianists Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Kei...

  • ZOFO Duet - Zoforbit is WFMT 'New Release Of the Week'
    Posted At: June 29, 2014

    ZOFO Duet's third album, Zoforbit, takes the listener on an intergalactic voyage through the Milky Way. Estonian composer Urmas Sisask sets the mood with the other-worldly sounds of his composition The Milky Way, featuring innovative inside and outside the piano techniques that evoke a sense of the cosmos. The journey continues with a tour of Gustav Holst's The Planets, and visits to the stars Alpha Cent...

  • ZOFO duet - Zoforbit: A Space Odyssey / Gapplegate Music review
    Posted At: June 6, 2014

    Concept albums can do interesting things and be lots of fun if the idea is right. The piano duo ZOFO, who we have covered before here, had a great idea and made it work. The album is called ZOFORBIT: A Space Odyssey (Sono Luminus 92178). It is a logical grouping of four compositions for piano, four hands, with the theme of space, the universe, the cosmos. They've come up with four compositions th...

  • ZOFO - ZOFORBIT / KDFC ' Download Of the Week'
    Posted At: June 4, 2014

    Each week KDFC: San Francisco members can download a free mp3 from some of the biggest releases in the world of Classical music. This week's pick is from Grammy-nominated ZOFO, the critically acclaimed piano duo embarks on a musical exploration of the galaxy with outer space-themed duet works by four noted composers of the 20th and 21st centuries, Gustav Holst, George Crumb, David Lang and Urmas Sisa...

  • ZOFO duet - Zoforbit: A Space Odyssey / KDFC 'The State of the Arts'
    Posted At: May 29, 2014

    The piano four-hands duet called ZOFO releases another CD this week, this time with a celestial theme: it's called ZOFORBIT: A Space Odyssey, and includes works by David Lang, George Crumb, Estonian composer Urmas Sisask, and at its center, their own arrangement of Gustav Holst's The Planets. The team of Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi have now made three CDs as ZOFO (which is a sh...

  • Corigliano's 'Gazebo Dances' from Zofo: Mosh Pit is 'KDFC Download' this week
    Posted At: July 11, 2013

    KDFC: San Francisco is offering a Free Download this week with ZOFO Piano Duet's new CD: Mosh Pit. Help yourself to one of John Corigliano's Gazebo Dances by Remember, you can only get to download the track after signing up for the KDFC eNotes newsletter! ...

  • Zofo: Mosh Pit. A dance-inspired exploration of six American composers
    Posted At: June 3, 2013

    "...vibrant, beautifully blended playing" - "..brilliant sound and a suave deployment of four hands at one piano"  San Francisco Chronicle "...the performances have a very attractive looseness that persists through all the technical fireworks. A most enjoyable piano four-hands release." -  AllMusic  "...a delightful romp of a recording, guaranteed to get the feet tapping i...

  • Zofo duo. 2 piano virtuosos join forces for Mind Meld
    Posted At: August 20, 2012

    Two heads may be greater than one, but ZOFO Duet proves that four hands are certainly greater than two. What these four hands offer in technique is matched by their two minds offer in performance, interpretation, creativity and passion on their CD: Mind Meld. Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi have reinvigorated the classical world on Mind Meld with stunning one-piano-four-han...
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