Sonya and Lisa
perform
Infinite Variations – THE GOLDBERG RE-IMAGINED
for two pianos
Music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Philip Glass and George Crumb
Johann Sebastian Bach: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (arr:Stephen Emmerson)
George Crumb: Makrokosmos Vol. 1 Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac (selections)
Philip Glass: Piano Etudes (selected)
Virtuosi maverick pianists, Sonya Lifschitz and Lisa Moore, join forces to re-create and re-imagine the Bach Goldberg Variations. In this new context the variations are shared across two pianos and juxtaposed with solo music by the leading American composers – Philip Glass and George Crumb. Exploring the contrapuntal ingenuity and the transcendent, spiritual beauty of the Bach masterpiece, this new duo arrangement (by the Australian pianist Stephen Emmerson) delivers a unique take on the original – a beguiling and electrifying musical dialogue of voices and textures. Interwoven with selections from the timbral genius of George Crumb’s Makrokosmos Vol. 1 Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac and the resonating glory of Philip Glass’s Piano Etudes, Sonya and Lisa weave an intricate, kaleidoscopic tapestry of piano colors, rhythms, textures, articulations and dynamics. Afresh, they re-present the Goldberg Variations – allowing the original to transform and speak in ever more powerful and compelling ways. As themes unfold and blend, Infinite Variations poetically establishes the timeless relevance of Bach, Glass and Crumb, alive in a new sonic environment of continuously evolving performance traditions.