Last weekend’s Metropolis Ensemble event It takes a long time to become a good composer welcomed music lovers, Metropolis fans, and the generally curious concert-goers into a warm, inviting home setting for a chamber music and piano solo recital with pianist-composer Timothy Andres.
The playbill featured two pieces by Andres: Clamber Music, a free variations piece for two violins and piano, and It takes a long time to become a good composer, a five-movement solo piano work that received its world premiere at the event. Andres closed out the recital with Robert Schumann’s Kreisleriana. The event—which was completely sold out and consequently stretched into three days—was definitely a lively scene.
An animated crowd of around 70 audience members milled about Metropolis board member June Wu’s beautiful Lincoln Square apartment, chatting over hors d’oeuvres and wine, and then taking seats in the living room with a panoramic view of Central Park and the Upper West Side. You could call the event “intimate,” but that word doesn’t fully encapsulate the experience. There’s a different brand of stillness in a house recital than one would find in a concert hall; something about being in a home setting opens you up to relate to the music on a whole different spectrum.
Violinist Tema Watstein, who performed on Clamber Music with violinist Owen Dalby and Andres, commented, “You can hear a pin drop in this room,” and explained that performing with such transparent acoustics enabled the musicians to project their musical ideas with more deliberateness and precision.
Andres discussed with the audience the choice of pairing his new piece It takes a long time to become a good composer with Schumann’s Kreisleriana. Artistic Director Andrew Cyr had originally asked him to do something involving his own work and another composer who had influenced him. Andres chose Kreisleriana,a piece that he had been playing for since his teenage years. He mentioned a basic semblance of structure to Kreisleriana, as well as the premise of being a set of self-portrait miniatures.
Andres’s new work is expansive, yet personal, recalling the alternating musical moods of the Schumann piece. He cautioned the audience, though, not to read too much into the connections and relationship between the two pieces. They have different voices, different stories to tell. Audience members agreed that it was a real treat to have a work performed by its composer in a recital setting, and Andres delivered a powerhouse performance at the piano and an openness at the microphone. Likewise, the event was buoyed by the electric enthusiasm of the audience and the warmth of a spectacular setting. Thanks to all our fans and supporters for helping make these unique house concerts a reality!
Photos by Adi Shniderman