Vijay Iyer: Music of Transformation

Leave it to the composer-pianist-professor to bring several different projects to his BAM Next Wave Festival dates. His striking work for string quartet and piano, Mutations I-X (one of the best albums of 2014 in any genre), will get a performance here, as will Iyer's soundtrack to Prashant Bhargava’s film Radhe Radhe: Rites of Holi (which the International Contemporary Ensemble will perform live, along with a screening of the film). Also on the bill is a new piano work the composer will perform solo. Iyer plays in town pretty regularly, though savvy concertgoers should be advised it's rare to hear so many aspects of this contemporary talent's overall gestalt in one night, let alone in one space. (Basically, all that's missing is his jazz trio. But once their new album comes out in early 2015, you can bet that they'll be back in New York before too long.)