The Time Curve Preludes

The Time Curve Preludes are having something of a renaissance this year, with probably the most performances in a single year since they were written.

First, the Finnish pianist Paavali Jumppanen played them at Bucknell in March, a gift from the music faculty to celebrate my retirement. Then in July, Neely Bruce recreated his 1979 premiere performance at Wesleyan University (including Walden Variations) performing on the same piano and with some of the same people in attendance as were at the premiere.

This month, a new recording by R. Andrew Lee was released on the Irritable Hedgehog label, joining Bruce Brubaker's 2009 recording of Book 1 on Arabesque, and Neely Bruce's original recording made in 1983 for Lovely Music. A champion of minimalist music, Lee already has a recording of Tom Johnson's An Hour for Piano to his credit.

And there's more. On October 29th, pianist Liam Viney and Eurythmy artist Jan Baker-Finch will stage a concert/performance at the Queensland Conservatorium in Brisbane, Australia, while selections of the preludes will be played by Bruce Brubaker at the 3rd International Conference on Music and Minimalism in Belgium in mid October, and by the Labeque sisters in London as part of the Minimalism At 50 bash at Kings Place in November.

All in all, a good year for postminimalism.