Gérard Pesson - O Hands for Orlando! (for left hand only)

O Hands for Orlando! (from Musica Ficta)
Gérard Pesson

From the performance 'ANYTHING RATHER THAN THE BURNING BRIGHTNESS OF UNMITIGATED REALITY' at Wasserman Projects (Detroit)

March 2, 2024

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Pianist Justin Snyder presents a solo performance of music for piano, electronics, and video in response to Ken Aptekar's medieval manuscripts reimagined in the age of social media and texting.

Mimicking a social media feed, this concert program is a journey through one of an infinite number of bottomless rabbit holes. Mirroring our present-day reality in the attention economy, 13th-century Italian melodies recontextualized for the information age are followed by the relentless noise and musings amplified in the metaverse; Chopin's romantic lyricism is treated as a piece of origami, and our perception of time is deconstructed through slow-motion frequencies. Nevertheless, the frenetic energy and emotional bombardment of the neverending scroll is balanced by intentional disconnection and IRL moments of sublime reflection.

In an age of disinformation and misattribution, the title of the program is recycled from a quote far removed from the context of Aldous Huxley's seminal work The Doors of Perception. With time travel, the many interpretations of human history, and even glimmers of enlightenment literally at our fingertips, this program examines society's desire to escape reality by isolating ourselves in our own illuminated worlds

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A/V documentation: Dave Schall Acoustic
Tech assistance: James McCloskey