Composer Highlight: Ian Ng

Composer highlights 2.0 here we go! We are getting super jazzed about our show coming up on May 2nd at the Firehouse Space @ 8 PM! With rehearsals, work, and practicing, time is flying by and we are only five days away! It has been a blast working with this group of composers and really getting to know them and their music. Ian has been to two rehearsals with us; one in Washington Heights and one Brooklyn. (Thanks for running all over the city for us, Ian!) We asked him to answer a couple of questions so that you all can get to know him a bit too...

andPlay:  Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration and/or title of your piece?

Ian:  The title of my piece is Two for Step for Two. It's actually quite literal: Step for Two is a direct translation of the ballet term Pas de deux, meaning a dance duet. Since this piece was written for a violin/viola duo, I thought it would be a rather cute play-on-words of that ballet term.

What is your pump-up music?

Philip Glass' Einstein on a Beach ... all four and a half hours!!!

What can listeners expect or listen for in your piece?

Lots and lots of energy and movement.

What would you choose as your last meal on this planet?

Hmmm.... That's a tough one. I LOOOOVE to eat. I guess it depends on what time of day I am having my last meal. If it's in the morning, I will pick a full English breakfast, including potatoes, scrambled eggs, beans, sausages, bacon, mushroom, spinach etc. If it's in the afternoon, I will choose to have a Japanese meal: sushi and ramen. Mmmmm... Otherwise, I'm having a full  five-course meal in the evening with soup, appetizers, steak and dessert. 

For your Winter-y Weekend

Hello my party people! What are you all up to this weekend? andPlay had a meeting with a composer yesterday about writing a piece for us to be performed on our May concert at the Firehouse Space. It was super fun and we will have more details coming soon!

Other than that, I will mainly be practicing and snuggling up on my couch with a cappuccino and The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. What is everyone else reading? I have an ongoing list of books to read, but it would be great to branch out and get some recommendations from friends!

I may bake this weekend. As should you. How about some brown butter doughnuts? They are worth buying the pan for. Trust me.

Have you read this article in The New Yorker that is responding to the Slate article from last week saying that classical music is dead? Do it.

Here is a song for your weekend. I have been listening to Francoise Hardy nonstop for the past week. Perfect music for this time of year (and daydreaming that I am in France).

I am thinking about never using shampoo again. Has anyone tried this before?

Who else wants to scarf down this entire loaf in one sitting? Holla hollaaaa! 

Farewell, Maestro

Claudio Abbado has held a special place in my heart since high school when I first watched a DVD of him conducting the Lucerne Festival Orchestra play Mahler Symphony No. 5. I had never heard the piece before, and I had never even heard of Abbado. From the very first trumpet notes I was completely and utterly taken. I had never connected with an orchestra piece so quickly and entirely. Abbado led the orchestra with such beauty and finesse that I was awestruck. The music was alive and the musicians seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves. To this day Mahler’s Fifth remains a favorite, and Claudio Abbado a conductor that I respect and admire. 

Farewell, Maestro. You shall be missed. 

For a full write-up check out Allan Kozinn’s words over at the NYTimes.

Let's talk about theme songs

Before I get to the point of this post I need to make a little confession. I have been watching Ally McBeal. On Netflix. Late at night. Whilst eating Milanos. Yes, you read correctly. I am watching a show from the 90’s about a lawyer who sees nonexistent dancing babies and seems to fall or get hit by elevator doors at least three times per episode. But despite the predominantly questionable content of this show it has made me think a lot about the importance of theme songs. 

At one point in the show Ally’s shrink tells her that she needs to pick out a theme song for herself. This song needs to be something upbeat and conjured up whenever Ally is feeling low or unsure of herself. This sounded a little kooky at first, but after some consideration I am totally in. 

In the early fall Hannah showed me this awesome app called Songza. It makes playlists for you based on the activity that you are doing. I have had good (nay, amazing) gym mixes, lazy day/lounge mixes, and crazy dance party playlists all given to me via my phone/iPad! Once in the early fall after an andPlay rehearsal Hannah and I put on the ‘Walking on Sunshine’ mix. The first song was Jackie Wilson singing (Your love keeps lifting me) Higher and Higher, and I fell IN LOVE. This is the song that my brain plays for me heart when it is feeling a bit heavy. It never fails. It turns me into a smiling/dancing machine! 

What is your theme song?