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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: Sylvi Brown 310-702-5847 June 30, 2015

PIANO SPHERES PRESENTS THOMAS ADÈS IN A WORLD PREMIERE OF CONCERT PARAPHRASE on Powder Her Face

for TWO PIANOS/FOUR HANDS

Thomas Adès Joins Piano Spheres Artist Gloria Cheng in a Rare Two Pianos/Four Hands Program on September 8, 2015 at Zipper Hall

 Piano  Spheres  is  pleased  to  announce  an  extraordinary  program  with  Thomas  Adès  and  Gloria  Cheng  in  recital  with  the  World  Premiere  of  THOMAS  ADÈS:  CONCERT  PARAPHRASE  on  Powder  Her  Face  for  TWO  PIANOS,   FOUR   HANDS  which  was   commissioned   by   the   noted   new  music   patron   Sue   Bienkowski   for  Piano   Spheres.     Featured,   in   the   recital   by   these   two   celebrated   pianists   is   LIGETI:   Sonatina;  NANCARROW  arr.  ADÈS:  Studies  No.  6  &  7;  and  MESSIAEN:  Visions  de   l’Amen.    The  concert  opens  the  Piano   Spheres   season   entitled   XPLORATIONS   on   Tuesday,   September   8,   8:00pm   at   ZIPPER   CONCERT  HALL,   200   S.  Grand  Avenue,   Los  Angeles,   90012.     The   continuing   series  will   be   at   REDCAT  with  dates  later  announced.    Artistic  Director  Catherine  Uniack  commented,  "Piano  Spheres  is  thrilled  to  have  the  world  premiere  of  this   significant   work   by   Thomas   Adès.   We   are   deeply   grateful   to   Sue   Bienkowski   for   funding   the  commission  and  sponsoring  the  concert,  and  we  are  delighted  that  Mr.  Adès  will  participate  in  the  entire  program  with  Piano  Spheres  artist  Gloria  Cheng."      Bienkowski   explains   her   interest   in   the   work,   "I   first   heard   Tom's   music   at   the   Long   Beach   Opera  production  of  Powder  Her  Face  in  2001.  We  talked  about  commissioning  a  piece  for  two  pianos  several  years   later.   After   hearing   [Piano   Spheres   pianist]   Mark   Robson   perform   the   Concert   Paraphrase   on  Powder  Her  Face  at  the  Hear  Now  Music  Festival,  Tom  said  he  felt  this  version  had  enough  music  for  two  or  three  pianos.  And  that's  how  this  commission  came  about.  I  had  suggested  in  that  first  conversation  that  Tom  and  Gloria  should  perform  it,  so  it  seemed  appropriate  that  the  premiere  would  take  place  at  Piano  Spheres.”    THE  PROGRAM:  György  Ligeti:  Sonatina  (1950),  for  piano  four-­‐hands  Conlon  Nancarrow,  arr.  Adès:  Studies  No.  6  &  7,  for  two  pianos  Thomas  Adès:  Concert  Paraphrase  on  Powder  Her  Face  for  two  pianos    Olivier  Messiaen:  Visions  de  l'Amen,  for  two  pianos  

 

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British  composer  Thomas  Adès,  who  now  makes  his  home   in  Los  Angeles,  has  been   called   “one   of   the  most   imposing   figures   in   contemporary  music”   (The  New  Yorker).  He  first  composed  Powder  Her  Face  as  a  Chamber  Opera   In  Two  Acts   and   Eight   Scenes   For   Four   Singers   and   15   Players   (commissioned   by  Almeida   Opera)   and   called   “…   dazzlingly   precocious…   a   staggeringly   brilliant  addition  to  the  ranks  of  contemporary  music  theatre”  (San  Francisco  Examiner);  and  “...instrumental  writing  of  a  power  and  imagination  that  we  haven’t  heard  anywhere,"   (The  Guardian).    Of  the  2013  production  the  New  York  Times  said  “The  music  of  manages  to  be  eclectic  in  a  way  that  never  sounds  like  pastiche  and  always  sounds   like  Adès.”    Revived   in  June  of  2015   in  Boston,  The  Boston  

Globe  wrote   “Adès’   vocal  writing   and   instrumental   score   are  dizzyingly   inventive,   ferociously  difficult,  and  invariably  rewarding.”          Adès  arranged  two  of  Conlon  Nancarrow’s  pieces:  NANCARROW,  arr.  ADÈS:  Studies  No.  6  &  7   for  two  solo   pianos.     “Study  No.   6   is   an   untypically   lazy   piece  ……  The   repeating   bass   line,  maintained  by   the  second  pianist’s   left   hand   throughout,   is   squashed   and   stretched  by   constant   changes   of   rhythm  and  tempo,   while   the   melody,   whose   returns   are   punctuated   by   up-­‐down   scales,   develops   bits   of  counterpoint   along   the  way.   Study  No.   7   is   bigger   and  much  more   complex,  with   scraps   of   tune   and  scales caught on rhythmic and harmonic cycles rotating at several different speeds simultaneously.” (LA Phil - Paul  Griffiths). György   Ligeti:   Sonatina   (1950),   for   piano   four-­‐hands   is   light-­‐hearted,   folk-­‐derived   music.   “The  composer’s   crucial   encounter   with   American   Minimalism,   as   well   as   with   Nancarrow’s   player-­‐piano  studies  made  a  significant  impact  on  his  style.”  Visions  de  l’Amen,  for  two  pianos  was  written  by  Olivier  Messiaen   for   himself   and   his   student   Yvonne   Loriod   (later   his   second  wife).   “The   piece   points   to   the  teacher-­‐pupil   relationship   enshrined   in   the   music;   the   way   the   simple   chords   in   Loriod's   part   in   the  opening  Amen  de  la  création  are  given  life  and  sustenance  by  the  creation  theme  rising  from  the  depths  of  Messaiens  piano  2.”  (Andrew  McGregor).    

Pianist  Gloria  Cheng  is  acclaimed  as  a  discerning  artist  whose  performances  tap  the   emotional   core   of   contemporary  music.   In   recitals   that   explore   significant  interconnections   amongst   composers,   Cheng   has   been   presented   by   the   Ojai  Festival,   Chicago   Humanities   Festival,   William   Kapell   Festival,   and   the  Tanglewood   Festival   of   Contemporary   Music.   She   has   appeared   on   leading  concert  series  including  Carnegie  Hall's  Making  Music,  Cal  Performances,  St.  Paul  Chamber  Orchestra  Engine408,  Stanford  Lively  Arts,  and  at  (le)  Poisson  Rouge.        

 

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       In  recital  and  on  recording,  Cheng  celebrates  the  kinships  that  exist  amongst  contemporary  composers.  About   her   Grammy-­‐winning   2008   disc,   Piano  Music   of   Esa-­‐Pekka   Salonen,   Steven   Stucky,   and  Witold  Lutosławski,  The  New  York  Times  noted:  "It's  not  just  that  Ms.  Cheng  plays  these  daunting  pieces  with  such  commanding  technique,  color  and  imagination.  Her  recordings  include  Piano  Music  of  John  Adams  and  Terry  Riley  on  Telarc,  her  Grammy-­‐nominated  2012  release,  The  Edge  of  Light:  Messiaen/Saariaho,  with   contributions   from   the   Calder   Quartet   and   director   Peter   Sellars.   Recently   Cheng   launched  MONTAGE,   a   recording   and  documentary   film   featuring  works   composed   for   her   by   the   greatest   film  composers  of  today.  The  film  includes  interviews  with  Bruce  Broughton,  Don  Davis,  Alexandre  Desplat,  Michael  Giacchino,  Randy  Newman,  and  John  Williams,  along  with   footage  from  the  concert  premiere  and   composer-­‐led   recording   sessions.   The   film   premiered   in   various   venues   in   February   2015,   to  coincide  with  the  CD  release  on  Harmonia  mundi.      Founded  by  Leonard  Stein,  Piano  Spheres  supports  and  encourages  the  composition  and  performance  of  major   new   works   for   the   piano.   It   expands   the   piano   repertoire   by   commissioning   new   music   and  sustaining   a   concert   series   of   the   highest   artistic   quality   which   focuses   primarily   on   pieces   by  contemporary  composers.    

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For  tickets  (800-­‐595-­‐4849)  or  more  information  visit  www.pianospheres.org  Single  admissions  $35,  Seniors  $30  Students  $20  (one  ticket  per  I.D)  

Contact:

Information: Heidi Lesemann, 323-226-0326 – heidi.lesemann@gmail.com Press: Sylvi C Brown, 310-702-5847 - scbrownpr@msn.com Artistic Director: Catherine Uniack, 323-935-0729 - pianospheres@mac.com