Stories » London's 'Occupy the Pianos Festival' explores the relationship between music and meditation / iNews

Stories for January 24, 2020

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    Paul Merkelo speaks with FM91 - Toledo about 'The Enlightened Trumpet'
     
    Posted At : January 23, 2020 12:00 AM

    Trumpet virtuoso (and principal of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra) Paul Merkelo has a new recording out on Sony Classical, which features stand-out performances of four popular concertos – all composed during The Age of Enlightenment in Europe (as Paul explains in this interview, the trumpet and its music was itself going through some changes during this period). Paul brings three different trumpets (including one of them custom made) for fresh and fantastic performances of works by Haydn, Telemann, Leopold Mozart, and Hummel. FM91 - Toledo OH, music host; Brad Cresswell spoke with PM about the recording. Listen  p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d}

  • Performances are superb on William Susman's 'Collision Point' as crystalline music shines / Fanfare
     
    Posted At : January 23, 2020 12:00 AM

    Back in Fanfare 38:2, I wrote about a disc of William Susman's music entitled Scatter My Ashes. Like the current disc, similarly on the Belarca label, playing time was short, but a sense of fun and enjoyment of life was long. Susman's minimalist tendencies are fully on display again in this release, itself entitled Collision Point. Scored for flute, alto sax, violin, cello and piano four-hands, Camille (2010) is based on the Afro-Cuban clave rhythm, with 3+2 layered against 2+3 in the first movement, "Vitality". Susman suggests the aural equivalent is that of Escher's woodcut Illustrations, where the eye can choose to concentrate on wither white fish or brown fish; here, it is the ear that opts which division of the measure to concentrate on. Booklet annotator David Sanson puts it well when he refers to Susman's music as a "labyrinth of rhythms, a perpetually moving trompe-l'oeil," a statement that seems to fit particularly well with Camille. The contrasting second panel "Tranquility," is like a slowly turning kaleidoscope, before the pulsating finale, "Triumph," emerges. The work was written for the current ensemble and is performed with the sense of rhythmic cleanliness and exactitude minimalist music requires. The 2010 piece Clouds and Flames finds the scoring reduced to piano trio. Seven short movements are inspired by events in Colum McCann's novel Let The Great World Spin and also by the tightrope walk of Philippe Petit between the World Trade Center towers on August 7, 1974. The central theme of Clouds and Flames is remembrance and loss, nowhere more evident than in the fourth movement, "The Alphabet of Dying". The title of the next movement, "Collision Point," a restrained movement built on slow-moving piano against pizzicato strings, also forms the title of the disc as a whole. The scoring for piano trio gives the piece a brilliant sort of clarity completely different from the ensemble used or Camille; again, the performance is beyond criticism. The two remaining pieces date back into the 1990s. Based on cyclical melodies and chord progressions, Motions of Return for flute and piano (1994) takes its title from Francis Bacon's 1627 The New Atlantis and is, like Camille, based on the idea of illusion. The agile flute part is superbly rendered by Alessandra Amoreno; Fabio Silvestro is the most fluent-fingered of pianists. Together, they negotiate the tricky asynchronous passages with great confidence.  The disc is bookended by ensemble pieces, that for The Starry Dynamo (1994) only one pianist short of that used for Camille; the original clarinet part has been replaced here by the alto sax of Claudia Di Pietro to fit in with the line-up of Piccolo Accademia degli Specchi. And, as in Camille, it is an Afro-Cuban rhythm that forms the basis, this time especially the montuño, a repeated syncopated figure.  It is a poem by Allan Gunsburg, HOWL, that forms the inspiration for The Starry Dynamo, including the line, "angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night". This is a work that, in one continuous movement of nearly 15 minutes, goes further than any on this disc to offer a sense of immersion into Susman's world.  Performances are superb throughout, while the recording is perfectly judged, enabling the crystalline aspect of Susman's music to shine through. Recommended.  Colin Clarke

  • Pianist Magazine picks this year's unmissable Beethoven events
     
    Posted At : January 22, 2020 12:00 AM

    2020 marks 250 years since the birth of Beethoven. There are sonatas, concertos, marathons and more: We offer a taste of things to come in 2020. What better place to start than with ‘A' for Sir András Schiff. He has several Beethoven-themed performances scheduled throughout 2020, starting out with an all-sonata recital programme (including the ‘Moonlight') at Chicago's Orchestra Hall on 29 March. If you've already got plans that night, don't worry, he appears at the same venue two days later on 31 March – with a different assortment of sonatas (the ‘Les Adieux' included). There's plenty more to see at the Barbican. Always quirky in his choice of programming, Pianist 112 cover star Igor Levit plays Beethoven in counterpoint with Brahms and Bartók, on 19 February. Bookending Levit, Evgeny Kissin performs the ‘Waldstein', ‘Tempest' and ‘Pathétique' Sonatas (6 Feb). The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and its music director Marios Papadopoulos start UK festival celebrations at the end of January with the composer's less-performed Triple Concerto, performed by violinist Maxim Vengerov, cellist Mischa Maisky and teacher of Daniil Trifonov, pianist Sergei Babayan. Oxford Festival Patron Alfred Brendel, who retired from the concert platform some years back, hosts a masterclass and takes part in a discussion. A spectacular music event wouldn't be as spectacular without the appearance of one such Martha Argerich. Phew, she's here, teaming up with her life-long friend Stephen Kovacevich for a mouth-watering piano duo programme including Beethoven's immense Grosse Fuge. Yuja Wang – by now a Verbier stalwart – joins cellist Gautier Capuçon and violinist Leonidas Kavakos for a performance of Beethoven's Triple Concerto with the Verbier Orchestra (17 July). Other pianists scheduled to make Beethoven-themed appearances at Verbier include Mikhail Pletnev with a performance of Piano Concerto No 3 (21 July) and Denis Matsuev who takes on the final Op 111 Sonata (26 July). Over in Alsace, Krystian Zimerman plans to go one step further: He will play all five concertos in a row at the Palace of Music and Congress in Strasbourg on 31 May. He will repeat the feat at Amsterdam's Concertgebouw on 11 October, with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Gustavo Gimeno. For more down-to-earth Beethoven, Jonathan Biss immerses himself in all things Beethoven between the end of January to the end of June, with talks and recitals in his Beethoven 250 Artistic Series.  Other pianists making an homage to Beethoven throughout the spring and summer include Emanuel Ax, who appears at Carnegie Hall with violinist Leonidas Kavakos and cellist Yo-Yo Ma (that Triple again) on 4, 6 and 8 March. Pierre-Laurent Aimard – deciding to mix Beethoven with Ives – appearing in recital at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, on 10 March. 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} READ THE FULL Pianist Magazine ARTICLE

  • Former Celtic Woman member Chloe Agnew rejoins tour for 15th anniversary / Greensboro News & Record
     
    Posted At : January 22, 2020 12:00 AM

    Former Celtic Woman member Chloë Agnew has rejoined the group as a special guest for its 15th anniversary tour, including a June 4 stop at the new Steven Tanger Center for the performing Arts. The Celebration tour will bring the successful Irish female group to more than 80 North American cities, according to a news release announcing the local tour date. Agnew is an original member of Celtic Woman. She joined the group at age 15, performing around the world for a decade, and is featured on 14 albums and DVDs. She returns to the show to celebrate a special milestone, showcasing the group's greatest hits from 15 years of live performances, television specials and recordings. 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} READ THE FULL Greensboro News & Record ARTICLE

  • There's something about Max Richter's music that triggers deep emotions / npr: Tiny Desk Concert
     
    Posted At : January 22, 2020 12:00 AM

    Half way through this performance of Max Richter's achingly beautiful On The Nature Of Daylight, I looked around our NPR Music office and saw trembling chins and tearful eyes. Rarely have I seen so many Tiny Desk audience members moved in this way. There's something about Max Richter's music that triggers deep emotions. In Daylight, which has been effectively used in movies such as Arrival and Shutter Island, a simple theme rolls out slowly in the low strings until a violin enters with a complimentary melody in a higher register. Richter, at the keyboard, adds a subterranean bass line for added gravitas, while high above another violin soars sweetly, mournfully. With all elements interlocked – and sensitively played by members of the American Contemporary Music Ensemble – the piece gently sways, building in intensity. It all adds up to a six-minute emotional journey that, if you open yourself to the sounds, can leave you wrung out. "I'm very interested in the idea of a piece of music being a place to think," Richter explained, adding that he had written Daylight as a response to the 2003 Iraq War. Richter, whose music can't be easily pigeonholed, lightened the mood with a miniature called Vladimir's Blues. Its delicately toggling chords are an homage to novelist Vladimir Nabokov who, in his spare time, was a respected lepidopterist, obsessed with a subfamily of gossamer-winged butterflies called the blues. Richter plays the piano with the practice pedal engaged for a warm, muted sound. Again in the final piece, Richter counters violence with calming, thoughtful music. His ballet Infra is a meditation on the 2005 terrorist subway bombings in London. It's music about travel, too, Richter explains, saying that he was inspired by Schubert's melancholy song cycle Winterreise (Winter Journey). In trying times, music by the soft-spoken Richter can feel like a safe haven, a place for personal reflection or a welcoming, utilitarian space to clear the mind.   SET LIST "On The Nature Of Daylight" "Vladimir's Blues" "Infra 5" MUSICIANS Max Richter: piano, keyboard American Contemporary Music Ensemble: Clarice Jensen: cello & artistic director; Ben Russell, violin; Laura Lutzke, violin; Isabel Hagen, viola; Claire Bryant, cello CREDITS Producers: Tom Huizenga, Morgan Noelle Smith, Kara Frame; Creative director: Bob Boilen; Audio engineers: Josh Rogosin, Alex Drewenskus; Editor: Kara Frame; Videographers: Maia Stern, Kara Frame, Jack Corbett; Associate Producer: Bobby Carter; Executive producer: Lauren Onkey; VP, programming: Anya Grundmann; Photo: Mhari Shaw/NPR

  • 'Sgt. Pepper' reunites former Bad Plus pianist; Ethan Iverson with his mentor, choreographer; Mark Morris / Minneapolis Star Tribune
     
    Posted At : January 22, 2020 12:00 AM

    Choreographer Mark Morris was "an adorable child" (his words) when he first heard "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." Jazz pianist and composer Ethan Iverson hadn't been born when it was released. Decades later, they came together over the Beatles' masterpiece to make something new. "Pepperland" arrives Saturday at the Northrop in Minneapolis, with 17 dancers, a singer, six musicians (Morris performs exclusively to live music) and Elizabeth Kurtzman's colorful Carnaby Street-smart costumes. Commissioned by the city of Liverpool for the album's 50th anniversary in 2017, the show is a hit, touring the U.K. and the U.S.A. ever since, with more than 70 performances to date and more scheduled into 2021. "After leaving the Bad Plus, it's been important for me to try to keep a connection with the Twin Cities," Iverson said. "This weekend feels like a nice way to see people, and if people are interested in me, they can see me in a couple of different contexts." READ THE FULL Minneapolis Star Tribune ARTICLE

  • Jazz Society presents Kate McGarry / Napa Valley Register
     
    Posted At : January 22, 2020 12:00 AM

    The Napa Valley Jazz Society begins its second decade of live performances by leading jazz artists with a performance by vocalist Kate McGarry. The 2019 Grammy nominee for Best Jazz Vocal CD will appear with guitarist Keith Ganz and his trio at Blue Note on Sunday, Jan. 26, at 4 p.m. Kate McGarry has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Birdland, the Newport Jazz Festival, Berlin Jazz Fest, and Jazz Baltica. She has performed, recorded or toured with such jazz luminaries as Hank Jones, Clark Terry, Archie Shepp, Fred Hersch, Kurt Elling, Maria Schneider, John Hollenbeck and Tony Award-winner Jason Robert Brown. SEE THE Napa Valley Register PAGE 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}

Top 10 for Jan

  • Colin Stetson :

    Color Out of Space

     Available now to preorder is COLOR OUT OF SPACE (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) with music by GRAMMY® Award-winning saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and composer COLIN STETSON.
  • Robert Thies - Damjan Krajacic :

    Blue Landscapes III Frontiers

     Mindfulness music leader Real Music presents Blue Landscapes III: Frontiers, the pioneering third album in the award-winning Blue Landscapes series from internationally renowned pianist Robert Thies and flutist Damjan Krajacic.
  • Thomas Newman :

    1917 OMPS

     Sony Music announces the December 20 release of 1917 (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) with music by GRAMMY®, EMMY® and BAFTA® Award-winning composer THOMAS NEWMAN.
  • Dustin O'Halloran :

    Sundoor

     Deutsche Grammophon is proud to announce the signing of Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning composer Dustin O'Halloran and his release of a new EP, Sundoor.
  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason :

    Elgar w/London Symphony Orchestra - Rattle

     Award-winning cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason returns with Elgar, a new album of works anchored around Elgar's Cello Concerto – arguably the best-known work in the classical canon written for solo cello, which saw the 100th anniversary of its first performance this month.
  • Joey Alexander :

    Warna

     Today, Joey Alexander, the Grammy-nominated jazz pianist, composer and bandleader announces the release of his major label debut album, WARNA (Verve Records).
  • Andrea Bocelli :

    Si Forever

     Following over 1 million album sales of his No.
  • Alexandre Desplat :

    Little Women OMPS

     Sony Music announces the release of LITTLE WOMEN (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) with music by Academy Award®, Golden Globe® and GRAMMY® Award-winning composer ALEXANDRE DESPLAT.
  • Laura Karpman :

    WHY WE HATE

     p.
  • HAUSER :

    CLASSIC HAUSER

     From performing in sold-out arenas across the globe as one-half of renowned duo 2CELLOS to striking out on his own and making his Sony Classical solo debut, HAUSER continues the momentum of 2019 into the New Year, today announcing the February 7 release of his new album CLASSIC.

London's 'Occupy the Pianos Festival' explores the relationship between music and meditation / iNews

Posted: April 19, 2018 12:00 AM | By: Admin
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I am sitting on the floor of a church in Shoreditch, a shaker in my hand, attempting to respond musically to a series of abstract, contradictory statements: making a hard sound that is soft, a private sound that is public, and so on. Initially self-conscious, as others join in, I soon find myself fully focused and absorbed. As I should be: this is mindful music. The exercises vaguely remind me of my hippie upbringing, but mindfulness has become a buzzword in recent years, in music as elsewhere; this weekend, the third full Occupy the Pianos festival, in London will be exploring the relationship between music and meditation. The notion of being truly present has obvious benefits for both listening and playing; really getting in the zone – immersed but listening closely – is surely the ideal state for a concert-goer.

Curated by pianist and composer Rolf Hind will take place between 20-22 April at St John's Smith Square. Studded with many freshly written works, and radical takes on music and concert-giving, this festival features new and radical piano music at its core. At the festival's heart is an ever-growing team of brilliant musicians whose approach is outward looking, unconventional and curious. Artists include Rolf Hind, Elaine Mitchener, Loré Lixenberg, Nancy Ruffer, David Alberman, Zoë Martlew, Siwan Rhys, Ben Smith, George Barton, and more.a

 

READ THE FULL iNews ARTICLE

Crossover Media Projects with Various

  • Various

    Orff: Carmina Burana Live From the Forbidden City

    Recorded live to the highest industry standards in front of the magnificent scenery of Beijing's Forbidden City, this unique gala concert celebrates the 120th anniversary of Deutsche Grammophon. The concert features conductor Long Yu and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, both freshly signed as exclusive recording artists to Deutsche Grammophon, and performances from Aida Garifullina, Daniil Trifonov, Mari Samuelsen, and more.

  • Various

    A Day In The Life: Impressions of Pepper

    Impulse! has brought together some of the great progressive jazz musicians of our time to pay tribute to The Beatles'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. A Day In The Life: Impressions of Pepper will be available on vinyl for Record Store Day on November 23, available on CD, digital, and streaming platforms on November 30, with a wide vinyl release on January 18, 2019.

    A Day In The Life: Impressions of Pepper includes performances and interpretations by artists such as UK saxophonist and Impulse! recording artist Shabaka Hutchings, Impulse! pianist Sullivan Fortner, Verve recording artist Miles Mosley, Onyx Collective, percussionist Antonio Sanchez, guitarist Mary Halvorson, The JuJu Exchange and more. 

    This stellar lineup represents some of the great progressive jazz artists from around the world: Shabaka from the UK Jazz scene, Miles Mosley and Cameron Graves from LA's West Coast Get Down, Onyx Collective from NYC, Makaya McCraven and the JuJu Exchange from Chicago.  

  • Various

    Beethoven

    Many people picture grim-faced Beethoven, shaking his fist at the heavens and persisting through deafness and illness to compose works of transcendent beauty, but he also stirs emotions that feel both deeply personal and ubiquitous. There are moments of red-cheeked optimism, quiet introspection, playful dances, heroic declarations, a restless search for the sublime. And while Beethoven is perhaps most famous for his sonatas and symphonies, he composed an opera, chamber works, songs, sacred music, incidental music for the stage, even dances. Taken together, these selections paint a rich portrait of Beethoven's humanity, which has attracted artists of the highest caliber such as Leonard Bernstein, Carlos Kleiber, Janine Jansen, and Martha Argerich. Some of these recordings are legendary, but all of them jump out with their undeniable virtuosity and brilliance. This collection may remind you of that iconic portrait of immortal Genius suffering for Art, but it will also reacquaint you with an artist from another time who somehow captured so much of the human experience.

  • Various

    The Royal Wedding - The Official Album

    Decca Records is proud to release The Official Recording of The Royal Wedding, one of the most eagerly awaited events of the year. Having recorded the entire service live at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle today, every piece of music, the readings, blessings and the vows will be available to listen to permanently on all streaming services in just a few hours: a first for a Royal Wedding. The physical album, on CD, will then be released into retail stores around the world from 1st June. 

    The musical highlight of the moving and joyous ceremony was British cellist, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, one of the most exciting musicians of his generation, who was personally asked by the bride and groom to perform at their wedding. The 19-year-old musician took centre stage for the all-important signing of the register. Dressed in a black Paul Smith suit with vibrant pink tie, Sheku played three beautiful pieces: "Sicilienne" by von Paradis, Schubert's "Ave Maria," and "Après Un Rêve" by Fauré. He was accompanied by orchestra*, as the Royal Couple officially became husband and wife. Knowing he was performing not only for the Royal Family, 600 invited guests in the Chapel, and an estimated global audience of up to three billion people, the talented teenager was thrilled to be involved in the occasion:

  • Various

    Hopes and Dreams - The Lullaby Project

    History was written in 2000 BC, and 2018 marks the 150th anniversary of Brahms' Lullaby, so this precious musical tradition has deep cultural and emotional roots. These personal songs bring people together, span generations, and tell stories about where we come from, who we are now, and our hopes for the future. The legacy continues with the release of Hopes and Dreams: The Lullaby Project on Decca Gold (Verve Label Group). The recording is inspired by the Lullaby Project, a program of Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute which pairs pregnant women, new mothers, and family members with professional artists to write and sing personal lullabies for their babies, supporting maternal health, aiding child development, and strengthening the bond between parent and child. Hopes and Dreams: The Lullaby Project features fifteen lullabies written by parents from across New York City, as performed by Fiona Apple, the Brentano String Quartet, Lawrence Brownlee, Rosanne Cash, Joyce DiDonato, Janice Freeman (The Voice 2017), Rhiannon Giddens (Nashville), Angélique Kidjo, Patti LuPone, Natalie Merchant (10,000 Maniacs), Dianne Reeves, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Pretty Yende, and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

  • Various

    Jazz Loves Disney 2: A Kind of Magic

    The second installment of the Jazz Loves Disney series, Jazz Loves Disney 2: A Kind of Magic features guest artists including Angélique Kidjo, Laura Mvula, Jamie Cullum, Jacob Collier, George Benson, Madeleine Peyroux and more, taking on beloved melodies from the Disney canon. The album will be released on Verve Records on November 10.  The Jazz Loves Disney series celebrates the nostalgia and universal appeal of the music of Disney films. The rich catalogue of Disney songs that span genres and generations inspired producer Jay Newland and arranger Rob Mounsey to continue the series. 

    7 NEW  106 TOTAL
    SYND:     NPR, CBC
    Direct: SiriusXM
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta, Portland, Detroit, Denver, Memphis, Orlando, Albuquerque, Wichita, Madison WI, Honolulu, HI(Statewide), Barcelona, Berlin
    INTER: Canada, UK, Spain, Germany, South Africa
    Online: LaughingPlace, Troonradio, Quisqueya, udiscovermusic, The Healthy Mouse, The Daily Shuffle, Dis411, NextBop.com, MOJA, GreenArrow, Jazz Gallery 41, The Jazz groove, Sun Music, Jazz Weekly, Radio Free Amsterdam

    19 Jazzweek ADD's

  • Various

    The Passion of Charlie Parker

    The Passion of Charlie Parker is a new album from producer Larry Klein that tells the story of Charlie Parker using his music as inspiration for new songs that narrate his life. Guest artists include Gregory Porter, Madeleine Peyroux, Kandace Springs, actor Jeffrey Wright, and more. The album will be available on impulse!/ Verve digitally on June 16, with physical release to follow on June 30. Larry Klein says, "With this album I've endeavored to do something new and different in an effort to illustrate who ‘Bird' was as an archetypal character, and to draw attention to the huge impact that his work had on Jazz." Rather than create another tribute of traditional bebop tunes, Klein partnered with lyricist David Baerwald to create a musical play that tells the story of Charlie Parker's life while still playing with the jagged melodic nature of Charlie Parker's compositions.

    7 NEW  123 TOTAL
    SYND:     Jazz After Hours, Jazz Happening Now, Jazz Inspired, Voice of America
    Direct: SiriusXM
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Portland, Miami, Detroit, New Orleans, Minneapolis, Austin, Denver, Albuquerque, Orlando, San Antonio, Sacramento, Louisville, Knoxville, Madison WI, Rochester, Tampa, Honolulu, OR(Statewide), WV(Statewide), VT(Statewide), KS(Statewide), MS(Statewide), HI(Statewide), Toronto, Vancouver
    INTER: Canada, UK
    Online: GreenArrow, Jazz & Blues Report, KUHS/Vaya, Soulandjazz.com, Jazz Weekly, Radio Valencia, Que4 Radio, Freaky Party, theguardian

    45 Jazzweek ADD's