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Jonathan Harvey’s Bird Concerto with Pianosong at Cornell University

Apr. 04, 2018

Jonathan Harvey’s <em>Bird Concerto with Pianosong</em> at Cornell University

Jonathan Harvey's Bird Concerto with Pianosong will be performed at Cornell University on April 15 in Barnes Hall as part of the 20th Anniversary celebration for Ensemble X, a musical collective of Cornell and Ithaca College faculty who joined together to create an ensemble dedicated to presenting new musical works. Written in 2001 for solo piano and an ensemble of 17 players, Bird Concerto with Pianosong utilizes special electronics and recorded birdsongs. Harvey wrote of his work:

“Birds embody not only the joy of endless singing but also the freedom of the body's flight. The orchestra, like the birds, would have to wing its way through the bright air. Birds also use quasi-electronic frequency modulation in their cries and songs. I took their hint and copied their tricks in the electronic modulations of the orchestra.” 

Ryan MacEvoy McCullough serves as the soloist, playing both piano and the electronic birdsong samples. The ensemble will utilize a synthesizer from the 1980s that can interpret the demands of the score as originally intended, as well as birdsong recordings from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.


(Bird Concerto with Pianosong/Jonathan Harvey/London Sinfonietta/
David Atherton, conductor/Hideki Nagano, piano)

To learn more about Jonathan Harvey, please visit fabermusic.com.

Jonathan Harvey
Bird Concerto with Pianosong (2001)
for solo piano, chamber orchestra and live electronics
pic.ob.2cl(2.cbcl).bsn-hn.tpt.tbn-2perc-hp.acc-str(1.1.1.1.1)
30’





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