Kamran Ince's Duo "Road Takes," Opera "Judgment of Midas" in First Takes

Kamran Ince's new work Road Takes for viola and harpsichord sees its world premiere on May 10 at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall performed by the Allemagnetti Viola and Harpsichord Duo. Commissioned by the duo, the piece is inspired by the city of Memphis where Ince teaches composition and where Maggie and Minnie Snyder (the duo) grew up. The composer writes:

Although I have been associated with Memphis all these years I never really consciously used musical material from Memphis. It is like being from Egypt but never visiting the Pyramids as you take them for granted. When Maggie approached me with the idea of creating a work for them containing elements of Memphis music I was really excited. I travel a lot between Memphis and Istanbul–yes, many people find it a fascinating combination–and thought that somehow combining these two parts of my world in a more concrete way would be an exciting, fresh and interesting challenge. Although I use my Turkish side with other ingredients all the time, this is the first time I am doing it with Memphis influenced sounds.

Also this month we see the first glimpse of Kamran Ince's one-act opera Judgment of Midas in a workshop produced by American Opera Projects on Saturday, May 9 and Monday, May 11 at the South Oxford Space in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. With a libretto by Miriam Seidel, the work is commissioned by Prof. Crawford H. Greenewalt Jr, head of the excavations at Sardis, Turkey. The opera celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Archaeological Exploration of Sardis, co-sponsored by the Harvard University Art Museum and Cornell University.

Visit www.kamranince.com to learn more on Kamran Ince's music.

Go to www.operaprojects.org to find more detailed information on American Opera Projects' workshop of Judgment of Midas.

Kamran Ince
Road Takes (2009)
for viola and harpsichord
8'30'