Piano Spheres: Thomas Kotcheff

Date: Tuesday 9/16 8:00 pm

Venue: 2220 Arts + Archives
2220 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, United States, California

Possible dinner before, TBD

Tickets $28.33 https://link.dice.fm/Cv08Yh0CFWb?sharer_id=61ac1097bcb34e00014e192c

Piano Spheres presents: Thomas Kotcheff - "Between Systems".

∆

Join pianist Thomas Kotcheff with guest artist Bryan Curt Kostors and video artist Allison Tanenhaus for a special performance celebrating the release of Kotcheff’s third solo piano album, Between Systems. The evening will feature works from the new album alongside bold reimaginings of music by Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Cher, Céline Dion, and Beyoncé — blurring boundaries between classical virtuosity and pop-culture brilliance.

Thomas Kotcheff writes about the album and the program:

The inspiration for Between Systems grew out of my collaboration with composer and electronic artist Bryan Curt Kostors, where we delved into the question: What does it mean to interpret music in the context of modern classical performance? In many other musical genres, interpretation is expected to be transformative — a performer takes an existing piece and makes it entirely their own. Think of Tony Bennett’s rendition of The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby,” which reimagines the song through a completely different artistic lens.

In contrast, the convention in modern classical music tends to favor fidelity — the performer’s role is often seen as one of precision, aiming to recreate the original score as accurately as possible. Between Systems challenges that norm. This album and this concert’s program is about expanding the role of the ‘classical interpreter’ — shifting expectations and embracing a broader, more fluid definition of interpretation.

The performance brings together two seemingly unrelated worlds: the rigorous chromatic pointillism of Morton Feldman (whose centenary we celebrate this season), and iconic works from popular and electronic music. The common thread between these divergent elements is me, the performer. What may sound like remixes or reimaginings are, at their core, simply interpretations — shaped by the same creative impulses that guide any artist working across genre boundaries.

∆

PROGRAM:

Cher/György Ligeti — Concert Prelude No. 1: Believe

Morton Feldman — Nature Pieces

Squarepusher — Tommib

Morton Feldman — Intermission 3

Aphex Twin — aisatsana

Morton Feldman — Intermission 5

Celine Dion/Thomas Kotcheff — Obbligato Snare Drum Music No. 1: The Power of Love

Sophie Mathieu — the voice that fades (world premiere)

Beyoncé/Alex Weiser/Thomas Kotcheff — Grand Passacaglia No. 1: Love on Top

~

Thomas Kotcheff, piano

Bryan Kostors, synthesizers

Ticker