Ju-Ping Song: All Varieties of Existence–4 West Coast Premieres

Lois Vierk: Spin 2 (1995/2018, version for piano and soundtrack)
Nicole Lizée: Lynch Etudes (2010, for piano, soundtrack, and video)
Rahilia Hasanova: Monad (1993, for solo piano)
Kate Moore: Bestiary (2016, for piano and soundtrack)
This program presents four very different works for piano that have two things in common: they are written by women and each speaks with a strong, unmistakably individual voice. American composer Lois Vierk’s ‘Spin 2’ (1995/2018), originally written for two pianos, explores the resonating body of the instrument, beginning with strikes and glissandi on the strings, moving to the keyboard, and ending with virtuosic glissandi on the keys. It’s a thrilling, multi-dimensional sonic trip. In ‘Lynch Etudes’ (2010) for piano, soundtrack, and video, Canadian composer Nicole Lizée uses postmodern collage and stutter technique to capture and focus the spectrum of emotions she experienced watching David Lynch’s films. Azerbaijani composer Rahilia Hasanova’s piano sonata called ‘Monad’ (1993), is the only piece on the program without soundtrack or video. In the score, Hasanova writes, “Monad means ‘Unit’. It reflects all varieties of existence from genes to God.” It’s an ambitious, raw, powerful, hard-hitting work; a tour-de-force of power and virtuosity (akin to Sciarrino’s Sonatas) with Eastern European flavor and deep emotion. In ‘Bestiary’ (2016), Australian composer Kate Moore presents shifting patterns that conjure up wild emotions and fantastical images.