Event Description

$10 student tickets will be available at the door.

You can watch the livestream here: https://youtu.be/ZLLnbS1UVuI

Jonathan Hannau is a Chicago-based composer and pianist devoted to the surreal, minimal, abstract, and colorful possibilities of music. He actively embraces eclecticism and explores concepts of narrative, drama, and stark expression by evoking a kaleidoscopic range of timbres. As a pianist he has been praised for his delicate, refined touch, his capable handling of the extremes of dynamic shape, and his uncanny knack for navigating complex polyrhythms. His multi-style performance history has helped foster a unique approach to piano performance, pushing the limits of what is possible on the instrument. His debut album Pieces I Wrote on a Cold Winter Night, inspired by his meditation series: Music, Stillness, Solidarity, received a grant from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events in 2021. It was recorded through Atlas Arts Media and released through SCRIPTS records on October 13, 2021.

Jonathan is excited to return back to Constellation to share a program of world premieres, strange textures, and a personal favorite of his. Jack Langdon’s Prelude and Fugue takes a unique twist on the timeless Baroque form, while Devin Clara Fanslow’s Monument to my Fear of Change explores her passion of video game design, narrative, and love of loop pedals. Wynton Guess’ Serenade gives a beautiful and surreal homage to Franz Liszt’s Je N’en Connais Pas La Fin, while Leah Asher’s Lullaby creates a dreamy texture while utilizing a graphic score. My newest work, Liminal Spaces, explores my obsession with liminal artwork and photography. Finally a rarely performed work by Italian composer Salvatore Sciarrino, Sonata #2, rounds out the program. Virtuosic, fast, and incredibly beautiful, it creates a world of cascading gestures, spectral harmonies, and intense emotion.

Program:
Devin Clara Fanslow- Monument to my Fear of Change (For Piano and loop pedal) ca. 10 min. (2019) (World Premiere)
Jack Langdon- Clavier-ubung 1: prelude and fugue (For Piano and electronics) ca. 10 min. (2019) (World Premiere)
Jonathan Hannau- Liminal Spaces (2020-2021) World Premiere) ca. 6 min.
Wynton Kelly Stone Guess- Serenade (2019) ca. 8 min. (world premiere)
Salvatore Sciarrino- Piano Sonata #2 (1983) ca. 10 min.
Leah Asher- Lullaby (2012) ca. 5 min.