A guiding hand in the darkness: Timo Andres discusses his ‘The Blind Banister’ and his performance this weekend with Oregon Symphony
The Brooklyn composer will perform his Puliter-nominated concerto Feb. 9-12 alongside Beethoven’s “Fifth Symphony” and Carlos Simon’s “Fate Now Conquers.”
PREVIEW
February 7, 2024
James Bash from Oregon Artswatch spoke to Timo Andres about his upcoming album “The Blind Banister.”
This upcoming weekend in Salem and Portland, the Oregon Symphony will play The Blind Banister, a piano concerto by Timo Andres. Born in Palo Alto, California in 1985, Andres grew up in Connecticut and studied composition at Yale. Ever since the Los Angeles Philharmonic performed his Nightjar in 2009, Andres has been in demand as a composer and pianist. He is based in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, where he has created many works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, keyboard only, and vocal ensembles.
The Blind Banister, which Andres wrote for pianist Jonathan Biss, was a 2016 Pulitzer Prize Finalist. For the Oregon Symphony concerts, Andres will be the soloist. I talked with him via Zoom to find out more about this piece, which will be released by Nonesuch next month. More info »
