This week: concerts in New York (July 30, 2012 – August 5, 2012)

Natasha Paremski and Philippe Quint

Pianist Natasha Paremski and violinist Philippe Quint team up for a night at Le Poisson Rouge. The program includes the music of Prokofiev, Balakirev, Piazzolla, and the New York premiere of Fred Hersch’s “Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky”.

Monday, July 30 at 7:30 PM

Tickets advance $15, day of show $20
Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10013
..:: Website

John Cage’s Empty Words by Varispeed

Following their acclaimed reimagining of Robert Ashley’s Perfect Lives as Perfect Lives Manhattan, Varispeed tackle John Cage’s epic, rarely performed Empty Words. This overnight realization on Cage’s centennial is a meditation on the voice’s power to transform language into music. Varispeed’s new arrangement will lead audiences on a 12-hour journey of sound, from an ensemble of electronically manipulated and mutated song in the concert hall of Roulette to the noise of naked voices on the Brooklyn Bridge at dawn.

Friday, August 3 from 8 PM to Saturday, August 4 at 7:30 AM
FREE
Part I, 8 PM – 10:30 PLocation: Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
Parts II and III, 11 PM – 4:30 AM
Location: Exapno, 33 Flatbush Avenue, 5th floor, Brooklyn, NY
Part IV, 5 AM – 7:30 AM
Location: Procession from Borough Hall over the Brooklyn Bridge
..:: Website

Performers Forum One-Year Anniversary

The Performers Forum, a space dedicated to performance, lecture, and discussion (with an emphasis on discussion) celebrates its one-year anniversary this weekend with guest artist Darius Jones + possible surprises! Back in September we talked to Cory Bracken, executive director of Performers Forum (as well as Stellar Frequencies). The interview is here…
Saturday, August 4 at 8 PM
Suggested donation.
Exapno, 33 Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn
..:: Website

Oiseaux Exotiques | International Contemporary Ensemble

A fantastical journey through kaleidoscopic islands of sound: Jukka Tiensuu’s nemo recalls Jules Verne’s undersea voyage, while Tristan Murail’s La Barque mystique summons a hazy sonic seascape. Sweeping waves of intensity wash over Luca Francesconi’s Islands, here in its U.S. premiere, for chamber ensemble and piano. The finale, Olivier Messiaen’s Oiseaux exotiques, brings to life a masterful catalogue of sparkling bird sounds.
Sunday, August 5 at 5 PM
Tickets begin at $25
Rose Theater, Broadway at 60th street, 5th floor, New York, NY
..:: Website

!BlurMyEyes EP Release Show | Aaron Roche with Mick Rossi, Shahzad Ismaily, and Gyða Valtýsdóttir of Múm

New Amsterdam Records is proud to announce the release of new artist Aaron Roche’s EP, !BlurMyEyes, a lush and entrancing song cycle that showcases the breadth and depth of Aaron’s talents. Special guests include multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily, Gyða Valtýsdóttir of the experimental Icelandic group Múm, and pianist and long-time Philip Glass collaborator Mick Rossi.
Sunday, August 5 at 7:30 PM
Tickets $12 (21+)
Rockwood Music Hall Stage, 2196 Allen Street, New York City, NY
..:: Website