Nancarrow Complete

Programme

Conlon Nancarrow	Studies for Player Piano

Program with pianist Ivo Janssen
Conlon Nancarrow, an American pianist, jazz trumpeter and composer, fled to Mexico in 1940 after the United States branded him persona non grata for having participated in the struggle against Franco during the Spanish Civil War. In exile, the 28-year-old Nancarrow began experimenting with the player piano, creating an entirely individual brand of music in which he no longer had to heed the limitations of human performance. Aside from an arrangement of these Studies for the Player Piano by the Ensemble Modern (Germany), this music has never before been performed "live". Joined by pianist Ivo Janssen, Calefax presents a new version of excerpts from Nancarrow's Studies, arranged by Raaf Hekkema.

The Washington Post: "Best of all, though, were collectively developed arrangements of three of Conlon Nancarrow's Studies for Player Piano. The ensemble's sheer verve, seductively swinging phrasing and pinpoint treatment of Nancarrow's staggering network of syncopations all served the works' jazz foundations astonishingly well".

For this Nancarrow programme Calefax bassoonist Alban Wesly made several clips to go with some of the Nancarrow Studies. These clips can be incorporated in the concert or screened prior to/after the concert.

Studies for Pianoplayer no 2’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-SMX64UYeo

Studies for Pianoplayer no 18’: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce5Hmcco6HE