Nic Gerpe 'The Makrosmos 50 Project'

Welcome to the latest episode of Harmonious World, featuring a conversation with pianist Nic Gerpe, in which we discuss The Makrokosmos 50 Project.

The Makrokosmos 50 Project is out now and it features the 12 original movements of Georg Crumb's Makrokosmos Volume 1 for solo piano, followed by the new collection of 12 movements inspired by the former, each one crafted by modern composers.

The album is essentially the whole of Crumb's collection, followed by the 12 responses to each movement. All performed by Nic Gerpe. In our conversation, he told me that he'd recorded all 24 tracks in a ridiculously short period of time. Of course, there was practice before that, but still ...

The interesting thing is that the first 12 tracks are all by one composer and the following 12 by individual composers. Yet there is a sense of unity about the whole album. Nic's playing is consummate, but the writing, too, is quite beautiful. These short individual pieces stand alone and collectively as an incredible tribute to George Crumb's legacy, writ large in 2023.

Thanks to Nic for allowing me to play extracts from The Makrokosmos 50 Project alongside our conversation.

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Hilary Seabrook - writer, podcaster, musician

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