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Tobias Picker's Awakenings in Concert Premiere at Mannes College of Music

May. 01, 2014

Tobias Picker's <em>Awakenings</em> in Concert Premiere at Mannes College of Music

On May 2, Lowell Liebermann led the world concert premiere of Tobias Picker’s Awakenings with the American Composers Ensemble at the Mannes School of Music in New York.

Based on Oliver Sachs’s acclaimed novel of the same name, Awakenings was created as a ballet adaptation of the author’s case studies of neuro-physical connections. Commissioned by the Rambert Dance Company in London, Awakenings premiered in fall 2010 and featured choreography by Aletta Collins. The US premiere followed in spring 2013 when the Orchestra of St. Luke’s performed the work as part of the Live Ideas Festival presented by the New York Live Arts Theater.

Picker shares some insight into his work:

In composing Awakenings, I was inspired by the exquisite art and stunning imagery of Oliver Sacks' prose, and above all by the lives of the uniquely tragic patients he writes about. His book, “Awakenings,” written in the form of a series of case studies and footnotes, suggested the musical structure and characteristics of the score. While not specifically programmatic, I hope that the music may express some understanding of the patients as well as the sense of nostalgia, anger and longing they felt for their stolen past.

For more information on Tobias Picker, please visit www.schott-music.com.

For complete concert details, visit newschool.edu.

Tobias Picker
Awakenings (2010)
for chamber orchestra
1(pic,afl).1(ca).1(bcl).1-1.1(Bb picc tpt).0.0-timp(also concert toms).perc-hp.pno-str(1.1.1.1.1)
25’

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