+ T W O . . .

Vignette No. 1 is a unique “collage” recital which featured newly commissioned works for keyboard percussion instruments by Jonathan Kolm, Travis Jeffords, and Halim El-Dabh as well as some adaptations of music by J.S. Bach and John Cage and standards by Gordon Stout and Thom Hasenpflug.  The recital also highlighted some recent video and percussion collaborations that I have been involved in with Diana Reichenbach, Christopher Brannan, David Randag, and Ruwan Perera.

I’m infatuated with George Crumb’s music.  I was lucky enough to get a chance to work with him at the University of Texas in the fall of 2004 (my first semester as an MM student).  I saw him coach a colleague performing his Sonata for Solo Cello (on cello) and instantly knew that I wanted to attempt this on marimba.  I ended up programming all three movements on one of my graduate recitals and have performed it often ever since.  This original taping of this first movement is from the spring of 2007 (I think…).

If you haven’t seen it, here is a Vic Firth podcast of me playing Dream by John Cage.  The work was composed in 1948 (my favorite Cage period) and was original intended for piano.  I like to think that Cage would enjoy my “mulit-keyboard” adaptation — particularly the timbral differences between the marimba, vibraphone, and crotales.  This version is due out with C.F. Peters in the near future…