Thomas Mellan: Collective Hysteria

Emerging Artist Thomas Mellan presents Collective Hysteria: The Complete Piano Sonatas of Pierre Boulez. Boulez is synonymous with music of era-defining extremes, showcasing brutal violence and sensual tenderness often in the same breath. What unifies his three pieces on this program is the tremendous virtuosity they demand of the player, and their concern with revolutionizing musical form and rhetoric. As the composer said: “History as it is made by great composers is not a history of conservation but of destruction – even while cherishing what is destroyed.” Premieres of new 30 for 30 piano pieces by organist/composer Rashaan Allwood, underground death metal legend Colin Marston and Ukrainian virtuoso violinist Orest Smovzh round out this rare opportunity to hear Boulez’s three piano sonatas in one sitting.