Memorable outdoor premieres you've heard and/or your most unusual exposure to a new piece of music Marilyn Nonken, Pianist

Memorable outdoor premieres you’ve heard and/or your most unusual exposure to a new piece of music Marilyn Nonken, Pianist

Marilyn Nonken by Sara Press A few years ago, I stumbled into a Henry Brant premiere taking place outdoors at Lincoln Center: a work written to commemorate Columbus’s discovery of America. Various ensembles were playing around the plaza: jazz band, orchestra, maybe a sax quartet or mariachi ensemble. Honestly, no matter where I went, I… Read more »

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Marilyn Nonken
by Sara Press

A few years ago, I stumbled into a Henry Brant premiere taking place outdoors at Lincoln Center: a work written to commemorate Columbus’s discovery of America. Various ensembles were playing around the plaza: jazz band, orchestra, maybe a sax quartet or mariachi ensemble. Honestly, no matter where I went, I couldn’t hear anything. However, the sight of Brant –headgear, jumpsuit, etc.– will always stick with me: Ives meets Evel Knievel.

Unusual, indecent exposure! I had the wild experience of first hearing Berio’s VISAGE (featuring a fully-extended Cathy Berberian) with a total stranger, of the opposite sex–both, with headsets, sharing a single Y-jack.