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Following her release of Philip Glass Etudes Book 1 in 2022 on Cantaloupe, pianist Vicky Chow will perform the Philip Glass Piano Etudes Book 2 in anticipation of the album release of Book 2.
“When I first encountered these pieces,” Chow recalls of the Etudes for Solo Piano by Philip Glass, “I was brought back to my roots of playing piano. Each one is so different - they can be very sophisticated and simple at the same time. So for me, it was all about going back to playing acoustic piano, with no electronics or extended technique or preparation, and utilizing that part of my brain.”
Glass has said that he composed the Etudes “to explore a variety of tempi, textures, and piano techniques,” and as the title suggests, these are keyboard studies at their most elemental and freewheeling. The composer also sought to refine his own piano technique (he began work on the Etudes in the early 1990s), exploring a range of moods and emotions that shift from hypnotic to stark, meditative to ebullient and beyond.
The original Etudes were compiled into two books of ten individual pieces each. While the work has been recorded by numerous pianists over the years - including, of course, Glass himself - Chow’s interpretation stands out, attributable in part to her own connections with the composer, as well as their shared presence in New York City’s new music community. Chow has been a member of the Bang on a Can All-Stars for over a decade; she first met Glass while performing with him on stage, at the same piano, during one of the legendary Bang on a Can Marathons staged annually in the city.
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Hong Kong/Canadian pianist Vicky Chow has been described as “brilliant” (New York Times) and “one of our era’s most brilliant pianists” (Pitchfork). Since joining the Bang on a Can All-Stars in 2009, she has collaborated and worked Tania León, Meredith Monk, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Terry Riley, George Lewis, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, Sasha Waltz Dance Company, BBC Orchestra, LA Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, International Contemporary Ensemble, Tyshawn Sorey, John Zorn, Kronos Quartet, to name a few. She has toured to over 40 countries and has performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms in London, Teatro Colón in Argentina and many others.
In 2023, her recording of Canadian composer Vince Ho’s Supervillain Etudes were nominated for a JUNO award. In 2022, she released Philip Glass: Piano Etudes Book 1 which Mr. Glass says, “”It’s a highly dynamic and expressive performance. There’s a certain energy that is uniquely hers.” The New Yorker wrote about her recording of Michael Gordon’s Sonatra: “Sonatra is a milestone of composition, and Vicky Chow’s recording of it is a milestone of pianism.” Her album Tristan Perich: Surface Image on New Amsterdam Records was among the top 10 Avant Music albums in Rolling Stone in 2013. . Her other recordings can be found on Nonesuch, New Amsterdam, Cantaloupe, Tzadik, among others.
Originally from Vancouver, Canada, she is based in Brooklyn, NY. She serves as faculty at the Bang on a Can Summer Institute, Nief-Norf summer festival, and has been on faculty at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. She is on the Board of Advisors for Composers Now, and is also a mentor at The Juilliard School. Ms. Chow is a Yamaha Artist. www.vickychow.com
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This performance is presented live in Roulette's theater in Downtown Brooklyn. Roulette’s mission is to support artists creating new and adventurous art in all disciplines by providing them with a venue and resources to realize their creative visions and to build an audience interested in the evolution of experimental art.