Lang/Rainwater Project – Friday, March 17 at 8 pm
Lang/Rainwater Project
William Lang, trombone
Anne Rainwater, piano
Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
Pièce en forme de Habenera
Amy Beach (1867–1944)
Romance
Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
Romanzen I
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
from Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor, Op. 38
1st movement: Allegro non troppo
Alex Temple (b. 1983)
all we could see from the window was water
Pause
Jeremy Howard Beck (b. 1984)
everything you have, give that
Quinn Mason (b. 1996)
Horn Sonata
Restrained
Relaxed
Unleashed
Arvo Pärt (b. 1935)
Spiegel im Spiegel
The Lang/Rainwater Project is a duo partnership established over ten years ago while both members were studying at Manhattan School of Music’s groundbreaking Contemporary Performance Program. While both trombonist William Lang and pianist Anne Rainwater specialize in contemporary music, they also perform a wide range of classical literature, from Bach and Schumann to young composers such as Alex Temple and Quinn Mason. The Lang/Rainwater Project’s mission is to expand the trombone-piano repertoire by working with diverse and distinct voices of contemporary music. In addition to canonical trombone and piano works and transcriptions of classics, the Lang/Rainwater Project maintains an active commissioning portfolio dedicated to championing traditionally underrepresented composers. They regularly promote these composers’ new works in concerts at universities and conservatories and encourage students and teachers to perform them as well. The Lang/Rainwater Project has performed across the United States, from tours of the South to performances on both coasts to residencies in the Northeast, with an upcoming, 4-university residency and commissioning project in the Philadelphia area later this March.
Anne Rainwater has released 2 solo albums – J. S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations (2018) and Anywhere But Here (2020), featuring electronic keyboard works by Jude Traxler. Anne is a 2019 recipient of an InterMusic SF Grant. She is working on her first book, which explores the internal and external ecosystems that contribute to the understanding, practicing, and performing of music. When not at the piano or writing, she is running long distances, reading, or obsessively watching baseball.
William Lang has recorded for projects such as his groundbreaking ensemble loadbang to international acts such as David Bryne and St. Vincent, as well as for Philip Glass. He is an active champion of the art of solo trombone, and works he has commissioned have been warmly reviewed by The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and several European publications. When not practicing the trombone, he can be found rock climbing, spending time with his family, or obsessively watching basketball.