Arts on the Edge Wolfeboro August 9, 2009

Margaret Leng Tan - The Sorceress of the New Piano $15
Hailed by The New Yorker as “the diva of avant-garde pianism”, MARGARET LENG TAN has established herself as a major force within the American avant-garde. Renowned as the pre-eminent performer of John Cage’s music, her penchant for works that transcend the piano’s normal boundaries has inspired like-minded composers to write for her such as Toby Twining, Ge Gan-ru and Erik Griswold. Ms. Tan is also a favorite of composer George Crumb. She will perform music by these composers on her Arts on the Edge program. Ms. Tan also takes a lively interest in the artistic potential of toy instruments and her groundbreaking 1997 CD, The Art of the Toy Piano (Philips/Universal), made her the world’s first toy piano virtuoso.  She has elevated a humble toy to the status of a real instrument. Margaret Leng Tan’s performance will showcase her artistry on pianos big and small.  In Part One, Toy Piano Plus, Ms. Tan presents the premiere of Erik Griswold’s Old MacDonald’s Yellow Submarine featuring the toy piano, prepared piano, music boxes and toys. Also Toby Twining’s Satie Blues and Nightmare Rag combining the toy piano and piano. Wrong, Wrong, Wrong!, Ge Gan-ru’s melodrama for Ms. Tan’s voice self-accompanied by 17 toy instruments, completes the set. In Part Two Margaret Leng Tan celebrates George Crumb’s 80th birthday with a performance of his Makrokosmos II (12 Fantasy-Pieces After the Zodiac for Amplified Piano). Since their creation three decades ago, George Crumb's monumental Makrokosmos cycles have become classics of the 20th century piano repertoire.  Ms. Tan's insightful and riveting performance fusing sound, choreography and theater, distills the magical essence of Crumb's timbral universe.

Official Website: http://www.artsedgewolfeboro.org