This Friday, April 5, the Library of Congress is excited to host singer-songwriter/composer/musician Gabriel Kahane with pianist-composer Timothy Andres as the two artists present an evening of piano-vocal music that features their own original music alongside that of Bach, Schumann, Britten, Ives, and others. Kahane made an impression in 2006 with his well-known song cycle Craigslist Lieder, consisting of piano-vocal settings of Craigslist ads; since then, Kahane has embarked on a variety of projects ranging from an orchestral commission to an original musical. His 2011 sophomore album Where are the Arms exhibits Kahane’s melding of classical art song and pop music and garnered critical acclaim – the New York Times praised Kahane’s “extravagant poise and emotional intelligence” (Friday’s program will feature the title track from the album, along with other Kahane songs).
Andres released his debut album Shy and Mighty in 2010, a work that featured 10 original and interrelated pieces for two pianos. Alex Ross wrote enthusiastically about Andres and his debut album: “[the album] achieves an unhurried grandeur that has rarely been felt in American music since John Adams came on the scene… more mighty than shy, [Andres] sounds like himself.” On Friday night’s program, Andres will be performing an original work for solo piano, “It takes a long time to be a good composer.” The piece, written in the fall of 2010, was commissioned by the Metropolis Ensemble and conceived by Andres as a companion piece to Schumann’s Kreiserliana. Schumann has been a major influence on Andres as both a pianist and composer and that influence will be represented in the program for this week’s recital as it features Schumann’s “Verrufene Stelle” from Waldscenen, op. 82 and “Im Rhein im heiligen Strome” from his beloved song cycle Dichterliebe, op. 48. Read more about the rest of the program in our online event listing.
Friday evening should prove to be a stimulating evening of song and a wonderful opportunity to hear how members of a younger generation of composers are continuing the tradition of intimate piano-vocal music established and developed by significant composers of centuries past. Please be sure to come early and hear a conversation with both Kahane and Andres at 6:15 in the Whittall Pavilion (no tickets required for the pre-concert talk, though tickets are required for the concert).
Event Listing
Friday, April 5, 2013
8:00 p.m. – Coolidge Auditorium, Thomas Jefferson Building, Library of Congress
If the event is sold out in advance, space-available passes will be distributed beginning at 6:00 in Whittall Pavilion (Thomas Jefferson Buildling). Unclaimed reserved seats will be allocated to space-available pass holders sequentially beginning at 7:45 p.m.
For more information, visit loc.gov/concerts.
Comments
What a super-satisfying concert–witty, moving, beautiful, unusual. I loved it. Please get these guys back for a repeat. Juxtaposing “If Anyone Knows…” (about a yearning for pickle relish–hilarious!) with Schubert’s Impromtu in G-flat major, D. 899 made for a surprisingly fresh enjoyment of the latter. Putting a mundane thing like a Craigslist ad next to a Schubert masterpiece was a little like the effect in the movie “Amour,” with juxtaposing ordinary beauty with ordinary suffering–both become heightened experiences… Kahane had termed part of the program a “tasting menu.” That it was, but the selections weren’t random and it was as if we were hearing familiar pieces for the first time, just as we were hearing new pieces literally for the first time… One piece served as a sort of palate cleanser for the next…
A concert for all ages–the string quartet and lieder set as well as the jazzier types–all seemed to be equally taken by Kahane’s and Andres’ creativity and skill.