Michael Alec Rose in action. Photo: Richard Bram

Michael Alec Rose-Urstoff LIVE
World Premiere-Nashville March 2008
Peter Sheppard Skaerved-Violin
Aaron Shorr-Piano

The composer writes:

"Urstoff" was one of the many technical terms the young Primo Levi came to
admire in his apprenticeship as a chemist and poet.  In his memoir THE PERIODIC
TABLE, Levi recalls his sense of wonder (searingly unironic, even in retrospect)
at the German language's clarity in expressing the nature of the universe--in
this case, the primordial chemical stuff out of which everything is made.  My
own sense of wonder over Levi's own language, shared with pianist Aaron Shorr,
inspired this little duo for him and Peter, which was later adapted into a piano
concerto for Aaron.  =

St Bartholomew the Great 2004 Engineer -Jonathn Haskell

Michael Alec Rose-Three Short Obsessions

3 Short Obsessions

Live performance. London 2005. Engineer-Jonathan Haskell

This short piece was the beginning of my collaboration with Nashville-based composer Michael Alec Rose. It was written for a wonderful project based in Mexico City, and organised by the British Council.

The first performances took place in the context of ‘Sodio e Asfalto’, an exhibition at the Rufino Tamayo Gallery, in the summer of 2004. Since then I have played this powerful set of miniatures all over the world.