Here's some documentation of my December 3, 2000 concert in Wroclaw, Poland.

This is "The Egg". I'm at the piano. You can read a description of this piece in the program notes, below.

Here's a view of the virtual world the audience is seeing on the screen:

Here's the text of the program notes:

An evening of music for virtual worlds, chamber orchestra, and solo instruments.

The program:


1) Khaenoncerto

A concerto for khaen, virtual world, and orchestra. The khaen is an ancient mouth organ from Laos. It will be played by the composer. Sensors are mounted on it so that it can control the virtual world. The orchestra plays a modal canon. In the virtual world, two forms are in a relationship. The masculine form is guided by the motion of the top of the khaen, while the feminine form is guided by the bottom of the instrument. The sound of the instrument causes the male form to transform and approach the female.

World premier, created for WRO.

2) Shards, for piano and virtual world

The piano controls a virtual world. The forms in this world are derived from the trinkets thrown during Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

3) Canons for Wroclaw

A work for orchestra composed of a sequence of overlapping canons. It is accompanied by graphical canons in a virtual world that will be performed by the composer.

World premier, created for WRO.


4) Pulse

For nickelharpa and virtual world. The nickelharpa is a Swedish instrument, combining elements of the clavichord and the sarangi. The sound of the instrument will also be modified by a sensor that measures the performer’s head motion. The virtual world is controlled by the position of the bow. During down bowing, the skeleton planet comes alive, the crystal snake moves, and the heart beats. Extended downward bowing moves our point of view from the inside to outside of the planet, or back again.

World premier, created for WRO.

5) Mirror/Storm

This is simply a piece of music for chamber orchestra, in two movements. It was commissioned in 1998 by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.

European premier.

6) The Egg

A concerto for virtual world, orchestra, and piano. The pianist sets a virtual platter in motion by playing a repeated low note. This causes a virtual gong to be sounded. As the piano is played, the egg starts to grow. In the course of the piece, the egg’s transformation is guided by the music. The harmonies played by the pianist cause the color of the virtual ground to change. The members of the orchestra watch the virtual ground in order to know where to go in the score, which is color-coded.

These are the colors to watch for:

SZMARAGDOWY
BURSZTYNOWY
SELEDYNOWY
BLEKITNY
RDZAWY
GRANATOWY
PERLOWY
WISNIOWY
LOSOSIOWY
MALINOWY
POMARANCZOWY
PURPUROWY
CZEKOLADOWY

World premier, created for WRO.

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