This Thursday, October 3, at 8 PM, the Music Department of the University of Pennsylvania will honor retiring Penn faculty composer Jay Reise with a concert of his chamber music. The venue is Rose Recital Hall, which is on the 4th floor of Fisher-Bennett Hall, on the southeast corner of 34th and Walnut in Philadelphia.

The program will include two first performances: Barcarola Reminiscencia for cello and piano; and The Inland Sea (Piano Sonata No. 3). I’ll be playing the latter. It’s a big-boned single movement work, with a lot packed into about 17 minutes. The music does not feature the counterpointed rhythms, influenced by Indian classical music, that appear in other of Jay’s pieces, although it is intricate with regard to accents and stresses and particular notes that are to be brought out in a rich harmonic texture. Pianistically the piece is at times an etude in voicing, an aspect I am finding even more challenging than the moments when I have to get around quickly.

Also on the show will be The Gift to Urashima Taro for shakuhachi and string trio; Semblances for string trio, and Yinyuè (Berceuse-Nocturne) for piano quartet. Performing will be Irina Muresanu, violin; David Yang, viola; Eliana Razzino Yang, cello; and Amy Yang, piano. Big thanks to David for lining up the players and curating the program.

A note on the Music Department’s website about the concert appears here.

(Photo Credit: Marina Garcia Burgos)