TribLive.com
Pennsylvania, USA - ....Most of the concert was devoted to five pieces by rising composer Andy Akiho. Born in 1979, his main instrument is steel pan — a concave bowl with specific pitches provides by convex surfaces within the bowl. He’s currently living in New York City and working on his Ph.D. in composition at Princeton University in New Jersey.
Akiho’s “Erase” for the full ensemble embodies many of the qualities that make him an appealing composer. It is an energetic composition, boldly scored, in a language which comfortably draws upon minimalism but is full of contrast.
The composer joined cellist Norbert Lewandowski for “21,” a piece prompted by his interest in the 21st measure of a violin sonata by Johann Sebastian Bach. After Akiho’s initial material was performed acoustically, the musician played with a recorded track. It was an interesting exploration of Bach’s notes in Akiho’s language, and featured the composer’s astonishing virtuosity on steel pan.
read more
Replies