(Le) Poisson Rouge: Check out the upcoming CLASSICAL events @ (le) poisson rouge!

John Davis, piano: "Halley's Comet: Around the Piano with Mark Twain"

File Under: classical, contemporary classical, twain

In honor of Mark Twain's 175th birthday, pianist John Davis performs selections

from "Halley’s Comet: Around the Piano with Mark Twain & John Davis," which pays tribute to Twain’s far-reaching musical tastes, extending from homespun Americana to some of the most refined works of the European-based repertoire. Interspersed with music from the co

mposers on the CD, all with connections to Twain—by Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Blind Tom, Blind Boone, Ossip Gabrilowitsch, Felix Kraemer, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Franz Schubert—are often hilarious, sometimes appalling, but always fascinating quotations from Twain and his contemporaries as read by Davis, including Twain on classical music and on his disdain for pianists.

Join us for John Davis, piano: "Halley's Comet: Around the Piano with Mark Twain" on Sunday, November 28th! To purchase tickets,click here !

Claremont Trio

File Under: classical, contemporary classical

Widely regarded as the premier piano trio of its generation, the Claremont Trio is sought after for its thrillingly virtuosic and richly communicative performances. First winners of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson International Trio Award and the only piano trio ever to win the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, the Claremonts are consistently lauded for their "aesthetic maturity, interpretive depth, and exuberance" (Palm Beach Daily News).

Equally passionate about the standard repertoire and the music of our time, the Claremonts celebrated the release of two CDs in 2009 spanning music from Beethoven to Mason Bates. "American Trios" on Tria Records is the first disc to present both of Leo

n Kirchner’s piano trios and was recorded in honor his 90th birthday year. The disc also features Paul Schoenfield’s “Café Music,” Ellen Zwilich’s “Trio,” and Mason Bates’ “String Band” (written for the Claremont Trio in 2002). The group's other recent release, on Ongaku Records, is a collaborative project with clarinetist Jonathan Cohler, including works by Beethoven, Brahms, and Dohnanyi. The recording garnered a glowing review in Fanfare magazine and received a Critic’s CHOICE award from BBC magazine, which cited the “splendidly enjoyable” disc’s “real intensity through eloquent phrasing and responsive teamwork.”

Check out the Claremont Trio on Monday, November 29th! To purchase tickets, click here.

Meredith Monk

Meredith Monk is a composer, singer, choreographer, filmmaker, and creator of new opera and music theater works and a major creative force in the performing arts. A pioneer in what is now called “extended vocal technique”, she has been hailed as a “magician of the voice” and “one of America’s coolest composers”. In 1965, she began her innovative exploration of the voice as a multifaceted instrument and subsequently composed and performed many solo pieces for unaccompanied voice and voice/keyboard. In 1978, she formed Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble to further expand her musical textures and forms. Her vocal music is an eloquent language in and of itself which expands the boundaries of musical composition, creating landscapes of sound that unearth feelings, energies, and memories for which there are no words. In addition to her groundbreaking vocal and music theater pieces (which include Book of Days, Dolmen Music, mercy, impermanence, and ATLAS), she has created vital new repertoire for orchestra, chamber ensembles, and solo instruments. Her music has also appeared in motion pictures by Jean-Luc Godard and the Coen Brothers, among others. Celebrated internationally, her music has been presented by Lincoln Center Festival, Houston Grand Opera, London’s Barbican Centre, and at major venues in countries from Brazil to Syria.

Join us for one of two performances from Meredith Monk & the Vocal Ensemble on Sunday, December 12th. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here!

Anthony de Mare CD Release show

Celebrating the release of his newest recording "SPEAK! ~ The Speaking-Singing Pianist" on Innova Records, Anthony de Mare, whose pioneering work in concert theater fueled the explosive growth of compositions for the speaking pianist, offers works representing the genre he helped create for the piano from this first recording devoted exclusively to works of this nature. De Mare has commissioned, premiered and even collaborated on the definitive works in this multidisciplinary category that have thrilled and inspired composers, performers and audiences around the world. In this program, he draws from the broad range of possibilities that this genre has brought forth culturally. Compelling the performer to unite piano, body and voice into one instrument, these works explore reciting, vocalizing and ritualistic chanting.

Dramatic, poignant and humorous, this program features texts from two of our most revered authors – Oscar Wilde and Allen Ginsburg, as well as original librettos by playwrights and the composers themselves. The program includes works by Frederic Rzewski, Jerome Kitzke, Laurie Anderson and Derek Bermel.