Catherine Laws

Hammered! Piano and Other Things

• Thu 18 Feb , 8pm
• Music Room, University Hall

*** EVENT from Spring 2010 ***

By turns explosive, playful and meditative, Catherine Laws performs works exploring the expressiveness of the piano. Her interest is in the wide and subtle variations of touch, tone, dynamic and texture possible on the modern piano. Intrigued by the 'scene of the performance' she draws out the drama of the interactions between performer and piano, piano and other sounds, and performer and audience. She selects pieces that create a distinctive atmosphere, demonstrating this complex machine's versatility and the ways its range can be extended.

The evening includes a premiere of a new work by composer Damien Harron, Yannis Kyriakides' contemplative hYDAtorizon and the powerful rhythms of Donnacha Dennehy's pAt. Juliana Hodkinson, Edward Jessen and David Prior have composed works especially for Laws that draw out very different aspects of piano sound, and the relationship between player and instrument. The second half immerses you in the slow moving textures of Palais de Mari by American composer Morton Feldman.

Post-Concert Conversation:

Catherine Laws & Damien Harron
A percussionist, conductor, composer and educator specialising in new music, Damien Harron co-founded the award-winning Backbeat Percussion Quartet. He performs with Laws in one of the country's leading new music ensembles, Black Hair.

Running time: approx. 2 hours (includes interval and post-concert discussion)

• Tickets £9
• Concs£7
• University staff £7
• BUSU £5