Tortoiseshell Music Home of composer Nathan Curtis

Today's feature is The Same Sky, by Carolyn Yarnell. I learned of this piece some 5 years ago via Kyle Gann's PostClassic blog, and heard it shortly thereafter on his sadly defunct PostClassic Radio stream. While The Same Sky gripped me when I heard it, it lamentably fell off my radar for some time. Recently I was reminded of the piece, and was thrilled to find a video of pianist Kathleen Supové performing it. It would be terribly selfish of me not to share my find with you, so here it is:

Kathleen Supové-THE SAME SKY by Carolyn Yarnell

While The Same Sky largely speaks for itself, I want to provide a bit of explanation. What you are hearing is not entirely Ms. Supové's piano playing. The piece is for piano and electronics -- some of the electronics consist of delays and other manipulations of the piano, while others are independent lines which are triggered by Supové's playing. The visual portion of the performance is being projected onto the open piano lid. It's a nice combination of elements, and I imagine that a live performance would be quite an immersive experience.

If this piece strikes your fancy, a recording can be found on Supové's CD Infusion, along with works by Marti Epstein, Elaine Kaplinsky, and Randall Woolf. An all-electronic version of The Same Sky also exists on Yarnell's own CD Sonic Vision, though Gann says that this alternate version lacks the punch of the piano+electronics.

Enjoy!