Film: 'Virtuoso of the Player Piano'

The weekend begins with a screening of 'Virtuoso of the Player Piano', a film by James Greeson that gives a biographical overview of composer Conlon Nancarrow's life and times, from his beginnings in Texarkana, his years in Boston and fighting in the Spanish Civil War, to his emigration to Mexico. The film features interviews with his family members and those who were closest to Nancarrow during his amazing career, Yoko Nancarrow, Charles Amirkhanian, Kyle Gann and Trimpin among others. It also presents a performance of his first published piano pieces, as well as a newly discovered set of two-part inventions he composed in his first years in Mexico performed at the Sacher Archive by pianist Helena Bugallo. Other highlights including 'live' performances of his powerful player-piano studies, Nos 25, 3a, 37 and 21, his Canon X.