Timo Andres – The Blind Banister (Nonesuch, 2024)
American composer and pianist Timo Andres released The Blind Banister (Nonesuch) on March 22, 2024. The Blind Banister features masterfully crafted orchestral, chamber and cinematic instrumental music rooted in western classical music traditions. It includes three exquisite compositions by Andres: his third piano concerto “The Blind Banister” with the composer as soloist; “Upstate Obscura” for chamber orchestra and cello featuring cellist Inbal Segev, and the solo piano piece “Colorful History.” Both “The Blind Banister” and “Upstate Obscura” are performed by the Metropolis Ensemble under the direction of Andrew Cyr.
“The Blind Banister” was written for pianist Jonathan Biss to be performed alongside Beethoven’s second concerto. Andres describes his piece as not a pastiche or palimpsest, but rather a work with some surface similarities to Beethoven’s concerto, such as a three-movement structure and a B-flat tonal center. The piece was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2016.
“Upstate Obscura” is inspired by American painter John Vanderlyn’s Panoramic View of the Palace and Gardens of Versailles. Andres aimed to create a distinctly American perspective on a French subject by starting with fragments of French Baroque musical ornamentation and transforming them. The solo cello, performed by Segev, explores the composition much like a viewer navigating a virtual world.
The solo piano piece “Colorful History” is a chaconne based on a single augmented triad. Andres considers it an extended metaphor for historical events, illustrating how they echo without repeating.
Timo Andres (b. 1985, Palo Alto, California) is a composer and pianist based in Brooklyn, New York. His impressive debut album was Shy and Mighty.
Andres’ 2024 season highlights include a Carnegie Hall solo recital, new commissions for the Moab Music Festival and the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, a tour with the Calder Quartet, and a piano concerto premiere with the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by John Adams. His recent projects include orchestrations for Justin Peck’s production of Sufjan Stevens’s Illinoise, and collaborations on Stevens’s album Reflections.
Metropolis Ensemble is a nonprofit dedicated to commissioning and producing innovative music projects. They work with leading institutions to create site-specific performances, new works, recordings, and digital experiences.
Conductor Andrew Cyr is the founder of Metropolis Ensemble. He has led premieres at major venues worldwide, and his work has been praised by Esa-Pekka Salonen for its precision and fluidity. Cyr is recognized as a significant influence in contemporary music.
Cellist Inbal Segev is known for her performances at leading international venues and with prominent orchestras. Celebrated for her interpretations of masterworks, Segev is also dedicated to expanding the cello repertoire through commissioning and premiering new works.
Buy The Blind Banister.