Matthew McCright will be premiering my Disembodied Dance this Saturday at Merkin Hall in New York City. A rough draft of the piece appeared on this blog; this weekend, you can hear the final product.
Matthew is an excellent pianist, and it’s really exciting to hear him play my work. He’s got chops that I don’t, and thus has interpretive options in a virtuosic climax that aren’t available to me. But what really sets Matthew apart is that he’s truly musical, and in those most important places where the music stands or falls on a single note, or a single moment of lingering, he will have you holding your breath. That is rare, especially among those who focus on new music as he does. I’m a lucky composer to have a performer of his artistry play my work.
On the concert are also five of my fellow Minnesota composers. I had a chance to hear the whole the whole program last weekend, and was really impressed at the compositions. It’s all new work — not 20th century, but new! It’s full of power and poetry and darkness and sweetness, whole worlds. This concert is a hug and a gut punch. What will the New Yorkers make of it, I wonder? And will they think that Minnesota is on the West Coast? (Some of them, probably yes, but then I had people in my home state of Colorado think I was going to college “out East” in Minnesota.)
Your options: (1) Be there. (2) Be square. (3) Be living somewhere other than NYC.
Matthew McCright: Piano Innovation
Merkin Hall, New York City
Saturday, September 25 — 8:00 PM
More info / Buy Tickets
And yes, by the way, I am still hot at it with the music. This blog has been quiet for a long time, but I have some big recording projects in progress. Stay tuned!