Unsuk Chin and György Kurtág return to the spotlight as we preview Seattle Symphony’s West Coast premiere of Chin’s radiant orchestral piece Rocaná and their centenary tribute to Kurtág featuring chamber works and a new animated film by Lembit Beecher. Plus, John Zorn channels Bach’s violin partitas while Steve Layton connects with Irish paganism. We catch up with new offerings by Matthew Shipp, William Parker, Kris Davis and Ivo Perelman while our 50 years ago in the avant-garde feature traces their improvisation style back to the pioneering Swiss keyboardist Irène Schweizer and Anthony Braxton's short-lived but long-influential mid-70s quartet with George Lewis, Dave Holland and Barry Altschul. Finally, we acquaint ourselves with the Helsinki-based composer Mioko Yokoyama, reacquaint ourselves with the legacy of John Cage’s prepared piano, and continue our exploration of Heiner Goebbels’ Walden through the premiere recording of its full orchestra version.
