COMPOSERS IN PLAY: Keyboard of Colours

Japanese-Canadian Kotoko Suzuki’s Hidden Voices is a richly hued, neo-impressionist work that explores shadowy counterpoint and integrated resonances. Ricketts’ balladic Melodia embraces a “narrante” sound-profile. Vibrant and intrepid composer, Zosha Di Castri, found a distinction and purpose at the keyboard early on in her output. Adam Sherkin performs the Canadian premiere of newest work, The Untellable Hour of Quiet, recently commissioned by Clare Longendyke, and inspired by Maurice Ravel’s “Oiseaux tristes.” Castri’s The Thinking Eye of 2006 is also played alongside and has been conceived around the following quote from Paul Klee:“One day I must be able to improvise freely on the keyboard of colours: the row of watercolours in my paintbox.”The late Finnish composer Saariaho was a friend and mentor of Zosha Di Castri. She also worked with Adam Sherkin in Toronto during the COC’s production of her opera, L’amour de loin in 2012; Saariaho’s Ballade for piano is included on this programme.PROGRAMME:

Ricketts: Melodia* (2016) for solo pianoDi Castri: The Thinking Eye (2006); The Untellable Hour of Quiet* (2023)Suzuki: Hidden Voices for solo piano (2003)Saariaho: Ballade for solo piano (2005)Sherkin: Four Preludes, “Before the Gallows” for solo piano (2022)

*Canadian premiere