by Mike Telin

Works that combine electronic and live acoustic instruments have come a long way since Donald Erb’s Reconnaissance was premiered in 1967. The musical elements are integrated in Erb’s groundbreaking score, but the results come across like a first date. On Friday, April 6 in Warner Concert Hall, legendary pianist Ursula Oppens joined the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, under the direction of Timothy Weiss, in a mesmerizing performance of Jonathan Harvey’s Bird Concerto with Pianosong (2001). During the colorful 30-minute work, Harvey masterfully merges the technological with the acoustic, and here the result is a love affair. [Read more…]