Haskell Small to Bring 'Journeys in Silence' to NYC, 5/9-10

Pianist and composer Haskell Small leads a quiet and contemplative life, despite living in the fast-paced urban environment of Washington DC. Small, an acclaimed composer and pianist, has long been fascinated with music that is primarily quiet, spacious and mystical. As part of his ongoing concert series, "Journeys in Silence", Small has performed solo and chamber programs around the world. On May 9 and 10, he brings his penchant for quietude to New York City in two programs.

On Monday, May 9, at 7:30 pm, Small performs at St. Malachy's/The Actors' Chapel (239 West 49th Street in midtown Manhattan). The program features New York premieres of John Tavener's Pratirupa for solo piano and Small's own composition, A Journey in Silence: Reflections on the Book of Hours. Tickets are $20 ($15 for students and seniors), available at the door.

"St. Malachy's Church is a spiritual oasis in the midst of one of the busiest and most boisterous neighborhoods in the country," says Small. "I do expect it to be noisy outside while I'm performing the quietest of music, and the juxtaposition will be startling."

On Tuesday, May 10, at 8 pm, Small travels uptown to Harlem, with a performance on the new series The Crypt Sessions presented by Unison Media. The program includes works by Beethoven, Arvo Pärt and Alan Hovhaness alongside Tavener's Pratirupa and an improvisation by Small. The concert is in the atmospheric crypt area at the Church of the Intercession (550 West 155th Street). There is a pre-concert reception at 7 pm, with Indian hors d'oeuvres prepared by the acclaimed chef Yamini Joshi of The League of Kitchens. Tickets are $35 in advance and include the reception and the concert. Tickets are not available at the door, and space is limited.

Later in the spring, MSR Classics releases Haskell Small's recording of his composition A Journey in Silence: Reflections on the Book of Hours (MS1601). Inspired by a devotional book popular in the Middle Ages, Book of Hours is the third in Small's "Journeys in Silence" series. Small's composition features the sounds of chant and bells as it explores the various moods of the monastic day.

Also included on this album is Small's 2007 Lullaby of War for narrator and piano, featuring noted actors Robin Weigert and Martin Rayner with the composer at the keyboard. Small created this cycle from six war poems -- two from the Civil War era, one from each World War, and two drawn from a contemporary anthology, "Poets Against the War". A prayer theme interconnects the poems as well as opens and closes the work. Stephen Crane's bitter War is Kind anchors the composition, surrounded by texts by Walt Whitman, Joy Harjo, Yvan Goll, Uri Zvi Greenberg and Paula Tatarunis.