Freesound Presents: Joseph Houston, piano

Freesound Presents: Joseph Houston, piano

Pianist Joseph Houston makes a special visit to Toronto with a captivating solo recital that explores the boundaries of contemporary piano music. This thoughtfully program features Houston’s own compositions alongside works by some of the most influential experimental composers working today, including Linda Catlin Smith, Chiyoko Slavnics, Bryn Harrison, and others.

Known for his expressive depth and interpretive precision, Houston brings each piece to life with nuance and clarity, offering audiences a rare opportunity to experience the subtle textures and rich sonic worlds of today’s experimental piano repertoire.

Opening with Bryn Harrison’s soft and luminous Quietly Rising, this program explores the edges and depths of the piano’s resonance, uncovering hidden and hushed corners of sound and beauty in various guises. 

The use of electronics, including a blended doubling of the piano, sine waves, and other prerecorded electronics, illuminates both existing aspects of the instrument, as well as revealing dimensions previously obscured or unrealised. Repetition  forms a central idea through which each of the works unfold, the program reaching its conclusion with the ecstatic energy of Cassandra Miller’s Philip the Wanderer.

Programme

• Bryn Harrison: Quietly Rising , 2008
• Joseph Houston: Duo , 2023
• Chiyoko Szlavnics: Constellations I-III , 2011
• Linda Catlin Smith: The Underfolding , 2001
• Max Murray: Ágnes Wrote , 2020
• Cassandra Miller: Philip the Wanderer , 2012