Brendan White plays Frederic Rzewski's The Road, Part 8

Описание: PianoSpheres ... Explores the Music of Our Time
pianospheres.org
Piano Spheres Presents
FREDERIC RZEWSKI: AN APPRECIATION
April 16, 2022
The Colburn School, Los Angeles

FROM "THE ROAD"
Part 8
The Road: A Novel for Solo Piano is Rzewski’s longest piece of music. As the composer described it: “I wanted to write something that was long enough, when it is finished it will be eight hours, so that very few people, if any, would cover the whole territory. The whole point of The Road . . . is that it is there when you turn on to it and it's still there when you turn off of it. So it doesn't have a clear beginning or an ending.”
There are 8 large sections, each containing 8 smaller pieces called miles. Each mile is different, a chance to conduct a range of self-contained experiments. They can involve audible breathing, gibberish, onomatopoeia, very thick counterpoint, slapping and scratching the piano, cadenza for squeaky toy, and much more.

“Stop the War” is a single large mile. It was written in reference to the US invasion of Iraq after 9/11. The title is spoken sporadically throughout, alternating with piano writing that is obsessed with 3-note motives which echo the title words.

Pianist BRENDAN WHITE has appeared as soloist with the Vicente Chamber Orchestra, Jackson Symphony Orchestra, Musica Nova (Eastman School of Music), Delta Symphony Orchestra, Crown City Symphony, and Symphony of the Verdugos. White’s collaborations in Southern California have included the Mühlfeld Trio, which won the prestigious Beverly Hills Auditions, the Speakeasy Society, and Eighteen Squared. He is also a founding member of the Sunset ChamberFest in Los Angeles. Local recital appearances include: Soundwaves in Santa Monica, Silicon Beach CO Recital Series, Glendale Noon Concerts, Pasadena Presbyterian Music at Noon, Music@Mimoda, and Mason Concerts. White was born and raised in Tennessee before attending the Eastman School of Music and the University of Southern California. White is also a composer of original music