Copland House…UNDERSCORED: John Musto, Cello Sonata

Music from Copland House continues its UNDERSCORED series of online programs, in collaboration with the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

Music from Copland House gives the Virtual Premiere of Emmy Award-winning composer John Musto’s scintillating Sonata for Cello and Piano, which seamlessly brings together the erudition of a contrapuntal master, the brilliance and “groove” of a jazz instrumentalist, and the rhythmic exuberance of a Brazilian dancer. A dazzling tour-de-force that features two fearsomely virtuosic instrumental parts in uncommonly close collaboration, the cello and piano constantly engage and interact, whether within the intellectual rigors of a spiky, Bachian musical conversation; the languors of a serene, introspective ballad; or the acrobatics of complex Latin dance steps. The composer will introduce the piece before Music from Copland House’s complete performance and then lead a live Q&A with viewers.

The virtual program features Music from Copland House’s Principal Cellist Alexis Pia Gerlach and Founding Pianist Michael Boriskin – performing from the studio in Aaron Copland’s National Historic Landmark home in Westchester County!