Photo: Taylor Hunter
Friday, May 12 at 11am ET
Saturday, May 13 at 7:30pm ET
Music Hall | Cincinnati, OH
Concert info
Composer and pianist Courtney Bryan joins the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Louis Langrée on May 12-13 for the world premiere of the orchestral version of House of Pianos. The chamber version of the piano concerto premiered on February 7 with Bryan, LA Phil New Music Group, and Paolo Bortolameolli.
Bryan says: “My piano concerto, House of Pianos, is a love letter to the many pianists who have inspired me over the years. It is a dream world where I enter a house full of pianos and journey from room to room witnessing gatherings of legendary pianists from various times and places. I join them in reverence and with thanksgiving and joy.”
The concerto, approximately 25 minutes long, progresses through five scenes: “rent party,” “jam session,” “homecoming,” “sanctuary,” and “praise house.” While she doesn’t quote any pianists directly, Bryan references a multitude of distinctive styles into the piece—from Thomas “Blind Tom” Wiggins and Chopin to Nina Simone, Alice Coltrane, and Sun Ra.
> Listen to Courtney Bryan on LA Phil Upbeat Live Podcast
Other recent major premieres for Courtney Bryan include her work Gathering Song—with a libretto by Tazewell Thompson—on March 2 for bass-baritone soloist Ryan Speedo Green, the New York Philharmonic, and Leslie B. Dunner. The New York Times called the work “thrilling in its polish and expressive range.”
