On the Vernal Equinox of this year, Professor Rush will attempt to re-define or destroy the idea of the piano recital through an event he calls “Piano Circus.” The concert consists of a wide variety of music, including classic European avant-garde “hits” Evryali by Xenakis, Klavierstücke XI by Stockhausen, and Catalogue of the Birds (Book V) by Messiaen. Additional music by American composers Stevie Wonder, John Coltrane, Meredith Monk, John Cage, Tom Waits, Charles Ives, and Rush. The audience will experience the concert twice (or more), through 8-channel audio diffusion, with chopped-up playback of each piece, played over the actual performance by Rush himself. In other words, the music will be digitally parsed and played randomly (in small gestures) against the performance of the recital itself. To make matters even more interesting, the audience gets to select the order of the recital/circus by polling here: myumi.ch/aXwnp.

The concert is under an hour, suitable for all ages, and seating is limited to 80. Please arrive early.