JOYCE YANG PREMIERES AND RECORDS MICHAEL TORKE'S PIANO CONCERTO

Joyce Yang is spending the week before Christmas in Albany unwrapping a new piano concerto by American composer Michael Torke. Three Manhattan Bridges for Piano and Orchestra was commissioned by the Albany Symphony and written expressly for Joyce as soloist. She gives the premiere performances with the ensemble under its music director and new music champion David Alan Miller on December 19 and 20. They will record the concerto on December 21 for future release on the Albany Records label.

“It’s a very ‘up’ piece with all kinds of celebrations happening within – and great champagne moments,” says Joyce about the score. “There are three movements with one bridge per movement. The first is the George Washington Bridge, and it starts with a fanfare that leads us into this great city. The second is the Queensboro Bridge, and it reminds me of old movies about New York; it feels nostalgic and full of romance. The last movement is the Brooklyn Bridge, and it’s fast-paced with a bit of honky tonk. It’s the wildest of the three!”

Michael Torke’s music is sometimes described as post-minimalist. Probably his best-known work is Javelin, which was commissioned by the Atlanta Symphony in conjunction with the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. His new concerto “is kind of minimalist, kind of perpetual motion, and it’s very charming,” says Joyce. “It’s like Paul Klee’s colorful squares stacked on top of each other.”

Torke chose the imagery of bridges for the way they match the symmetry of the main themes of the concerto. “Especially the second movement,” observes Joyce. “Looking at the score the theme actually looks like a bridge. Analytically and sound-wise, it all fits the image of bridges.” 

For tickets to Three Manhattan Bridges for Piano and Orchestra, visit www.albanysymphony.com.