Daniel Pesca, Composer & Pianist

I’m between trips at the moment: a few days ago, I returned from Los Angeles, where I played a recital with flutist Michael Matsuno, a wonderful artist I met over the summerin the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble.  In addition to pretty French pieces—Lili Boulanger and Dutilleux—Michael and I played D’un Faune by Salvatorre Sciarrino.  This was my first time playing Sciarrino, who is one of the living composers I admire most.

Next week, I’m heading to Toronto to play a couple performances with my old friend Christopher Mokrzewski on this intriguing program being presented by Against the Grain Theatre.  Kurt Weill’s decadent “The Seven Deadly Sins” is presented alongside minimalist two-piano classics by Reich and Adams.

There are now more details about all of these events on my calendar page.

3-7-12

I’ve finally updated my calendar page to reflect all my activities in the latter half of 2011. I’d like to draw your attention to just two highlights:

• I was in residence at the Aspen Music Festival and School as the pianist for the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, a 7-member group led by Sydney Hodkinson.

• An Eastman Wind Ensemble concert in November featured me wearing two hats: first, my piece Forking Paths was played; then I took the stage as soloist in Robert Morris‘s Concerto for Piano and Winds. What an honor!

2-21-12

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this site, so it’s time I got the ball rolling! Please look at my bio page for an update on what I’ve been up to recently, and what I have ahead. The rest I will update little by little.

2-8-12

I performed Messiaen’s epic two-piano work Visions de l’Amen with the fabulous Wei-Han Wu back in January, and just posted some video from that performance on YouTube.
The videos are of the piece’s long fifth movement, “Amen du désir,” alternately languorous and passionate. It’s in two parts, here and here.

4-19-11

Update: I added another excerpt of the piece — its over-the-top finale.

I just returned from a fabulously fun and successful series of recitals with flutist Sarah Frisof: four events total, two each in Michigan and Texas.

Two recordings of my playing have just been released, both available on iTunes. Both are collaborative projects with members of the University of Michigan faculty. One CD is called The Wind Compositions of Henri Dutilleux; I recorded Les Citations for oboe, percussion, bass and harpsichord with Nancy King, Joseph Gramley and Diana Gannett. The other is a CD featuring Jeffrey Lyman called El Bajón en México: Contemporary Music for Bassoon by Mexican Composers. You can find the tracks I play on by searching for my name on iTunes.

4-11-11

I had a wonderful month! My cello and piano piece Harlequin Serenade was played in Granville, OH, at the Tutti New Music Festival, and my organ piece Paradoxes and Oxymorons was played by at the Cluster Festival in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend either performance, but I’m so grateful to cellist Cora Kuyvenhoven, pianist Wei-Han Wu and organist Alexandra Fol for their hard work.

The great flutist (and my great friend) Sarah Frisof was visiting this weekend. We had a tremendous time rehearsing for four recitals we’re giving at the beginning of April at different locations in Texas and Michigan. For information on those events, please see my calendar page.

3-27-11

I’m in Boston for the weekend to hear the Boston New Music Initiative play my Apollonian Hymns and Dances. I was last in Boston eight or nine years ago, and I’d forgotten what a fascinating and beautiful city it is! If you’re in the area, consider dropping by tomorrow night — the concert’s at 7:30, a few blocks from the Arlington T station.

2-25-11