Is the piano dead? Rituals of burial and renewal in contemporary keyboard repertoire

A lecture by Dr Xenia Pestova Bennett (pianist and composer) as part of the Music Composition Centre Seminar Series. 

The concert grand piano reached the peak of its evolution in the late 19th Century with the invention of the middle “sostenuto" pedal. While composers continued to push the instrument beyond its limits throughout the 20th Century, one can argue that the instrument is now “past its prime”. Is it time to bury the beloved beast? Join pianist and composer Dr Xenia Pestova Bennett on a journey of exploration of recent piano repertoire, technological innovation and rituals of dismantling, death and resurrection by composers Annea Lockwood, Artemi-Maria Gioti, Karlheinz Essl and Xenia’s own work.
 
Pianist, composer and improviser Xenia Pestova Bennett has earned an international reputation as a leading proponent of uncompromising music. Her work spans a wide range of sound worlds, styles and genres from classical and contemporary art music to free improvisation, experimental electronica, multimedia and avant-pop. Xenia has been featured at major international festivals and prestigious concert halls around the world. She has also performed in a tropical rainforest, on a river ferry, deep inside cave systems and underground fortresses and while partially submerged in a pond.

Image credit: Andy Catlin
Please let us know if you have any access requirements, such as ISL/English interpreting, so that we can facilitate you in attending this event. Contact: rigakie@tcd.ie