Notes on Leon Kirchner: Music for Orchestra
The Boston Modern Orchestra Project has a new recording of the orchestral music of Joel Fan’s former teacher, Leon Kirchner, and asked him to write the program notes:
Born in Brooklyn in 1919, Leon Kirchner left a multifaceted and influential legacy on American music in a career spanning over 50 years as composer, performer, and teacher. He was a remarkable pianist and conductor, as evidenced on numerous recordings, such as those with the Harvard Chamber Orchestra, which he founded and conducted, and in performances as soloist of his Piano Concerto No. 1 and Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C minor with the New York Philharmonic. He was a distinguished professor at Harvard University for 28 years, where he taught some of our most esteemed musical performers and composers. But, it was as a composer that Leon Kirchner realized his personal credo—of creating a “verdant world in continuity with tradition”—a compositional voice that was emotionally supercharged, masterfully crafted, at turns thorny and spiritually uplifting, and uncompromisingly his own.…
Open Source Music Festival
Open Source is the simple idea that we share our creative work, and allow others to build upon it freely. We’ve built our whole music festival around this idea.
“The open source movement is changing the world, and affects every part of our lives. As a pianist, I’ve always been fascinated by the way music is created – how musical ideas are shared and new musical trends emerge.The Internet and the open source movement have radically changed the way we communicate, collaborate, and powers much of our creativity today. The artists and composers featured at the Festival have won Grammys, Pulitzers, and have earned recognition throughout the world. I hope you’ll join us.” —Joel Fan, Artistic Director
World Keys (solo)
Joel’s exploration of world and ethnic music on solo piano, from diverse places such as Syria, Turkey, Latvia, China, Japan, India, Africa, Australia, and Brazil.
Pocket Concerto Project (with ensemble)
Joel’s performances of standard concerto repertoire with reduced ensembles, such as string quartets.
New Concerto Project (with orchestra)
These are unique, contemporary concerto masterpieces that deserve to be performed more often. Includes:
- Daron Aric Hagen: Left Hand Concerto
- Messaien: Couleurs de la Cite Celeste
- Messaien: Turangalila
- Bright Sheng: Red Silk Dance
- Bright Sheng: Song and Dance of Tears (with sheng, pipa and cello)
New Commissions and World Premiere Recordings
Includes Joel’s premieres and upcoming commissions by:
- Leon Kirchner Sonata No. 3 “The Forbidden”
Transcriptions and Cadenzas
Joel’s solo transcriptions of works such as:
- Rachmaninoff Cello Sonata (slow movement)
- Cadenza to Mozart Concerto Op 595
Sample Programs
Program #1
Bolcom: Nine New Bagatelles
Kirchner: Piano Sonata No. 3 “The Forgotten”
Bermel: Funk Studies
Carter: Piano Sonata
Program #2
Saygun: Sketch on Aksak Rhythm (Turkey)
Prokofiev: Sonata No. 3 in A Minor
Succari: La Nuit du Destin (Syria)
Chen: Instants d’un Opéra de Pékin (China)
Beethoven: Sonatas Op. 110, 109 or 101
Villa-Lobos: Alma Brasileira (Brazil)
Bonds: Troubled Water (USA)
Chopin: Sonatas No. 2 or No. 3
Liszt: “Rigoletto” Paraphrase
Program #3
Nazareth: Vem ca Branquinha (Brazil)
Villa-Lobos: Alma Brasileira (Brazil)
Bonds: Troubled Water (USA)
Bolcom: Nine New Bagatelles
Succari: La Nuit du Destin (Syria)
Ginastera: Sonata No. 1
Piazzolla: “Flora’s Game” (Milonga Prelude)