The Devil in the Flesh & Other Pieces

Born in New York City, Jay Reise's choreographic tone-poem The Selfish Giant, based on a fairy tale by Oscar Wilde, was commissioned by the Philharmonia Orchestra and conducted by Djong Yu in London in 1997. His opera Rasputin, described in The Washington Times as "a spellbinding, challenging and profoundly beautiful creation," was commissioned and premiered by the New York City Opera in 1988. Memory Refrains (a string quartet in one movement) was premiered by the Cassatt Quartet in 2002. Open Night was the first work commissioned by the Kimmel Center Fresh Ink Contemporary Music Series in Philadelphia in 2003. Reise studied with George Crumb, jazzman Jimmy Giuffre, Hugh Hartwell, Carnatic rhythm with Adrian L'Armand, harmony with George Rochberg, and Richard Wernick. Deeply influenced by Carnatic (South Indian) music and jazz, Reise has developed his own rhythmic method which is a signature element of his music after 1990. Jay Reise is the Robert Weiss Professor of Music Composition at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and president of contemporary music ensemble Orchestra 2001. Marc-Andre Hamelin is universally regarded as one of today's masters of the keyboard. Critics and audiences alike have enthusiastically responded to his seemingly boundless technique, which embraces both stunning virtuosity and profound sensitivity. The New York Times dubbed him a "supervirtuoso," and the London Financial Times said, "Hamelin's wizardry defies the laws of nature." Mr. Hamelin's work in the recital hall and on the orchestral stage has taken him throughout the world. His prolific recording career has resulted in nearly 45 recordings and numerous industry awards and nominations.