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This week, composer David Smooke (faculty, Peabody Conservatory) will be visiting Westminster Choir College on Thursday to talk about his music. In addition to his work as a composer, Smooke is active as an avant improviser, employing a somewhat unlikely instrument: the toy piano.

Here he is in a video excerpt of a recent trio outing with Bonnie Lander and Erik Spangler at the Highwire Gallery in Philadelphia.

Live at the Stone

Echoi performed by New Fromm Players at FCM. Photo: Hilary Scott

At the preconcert lecture at Tanglewood on Monday night, Oliver Knussen had this to say about Lukas Foss’ Echoi, which was featured on the 2010 Festival of Contemporary Music. “When you look at a work like Echoi, which is filled with all of this crazy improv stuff that’s very much of its time – the early ’60s – whatever strange systems Lukas used to create the music, he always chose the ‘right notes.’ There was an innate musicality there that transcended the chaos to create very affecting music. Many other composers’ works from that era haven’t worn well and sound dated, but Echoi remains a piece that really works.”

“When Lukas passed away, I took out all my old LPs of his music and put them onto my computer. I’ve really been enjoying go through and listening to them again. I’ve been sharing them with friends, and many of them, including a number of young composers, are just blown away by the music.”

Sounds like Foss deserves a revival. And, in my opinion, Knussen’s the man to do it!

In the meantime, I’d love to hear his Foss mixtape – fancy a trade, Olly?

Most Sequenza 21 readers know Galen Brown as the site’s Senior Editor and an intrepid post-minimal composer. But Galen leads another life as well – as a pop singer! He specializes in covers – ironic in cast – of pop songs. Check out his flirtation with YouTube celebrity below – a cover of Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” – goth-style!

Galen will be appearing at the Gershwin Hotel this Saturday, performing a set of pop covers that includes songs by Perry, Michael Jackson, and his first time performing Ice-T’s “Cop Killer” live. Also on the bill are Matt Marks and Mellissa Hughes, presenting their own quirky take on pop hits as the “Melly and Mafoo Variety Hour.”

Saturday, May 1, 2010 at 8:00 PM
The Gershwin Hotel
7 East 27th Street
New York, NY 10016