"CODES"
IV Festival of Traditional and Avant-garde Music
Lublin, Poland 12-19 May 2012
“Margaret Leng Tan. Sorceress of the New Piano”
photo: Michael Dames
“Margaret Leng Tan. Sorceress of the New Piano”
Dir. Evan Chan
Mode Records USA 2004, 90min.
Strumming the strings of a grand piano like a harp and performing Beethoven on toy piano are among the surprising scenes in Evans Chan’s documentary, Sorceress of the New Piano. The film celebrates the trans-cultural career of Singapore-born, New York-based pianist Margaret Leng Tan, hailed by The New Yorker as “the diva of avant-garde pianism”.
Featured performers and critics include Joan La Barbara, Edward Rothstein (The New York Times), Mark Swed (Los Angeles Times), and Joshua Kosman (San Francisco Chronicle) sharing their thoughts on Tan’s artistry and musical lineage. With additional featured appearances by composers John Cage, George Crumb, Raphael Mostel, Toby Twining, Lois V Vierk, Somei Satoh and Ge Gan-ru. Incorporates vintage footage of Merce Cunningham’s dance, Jasper Johns’ art, and a Marcel Duchamp film. Sorceress also highlights Tan’s latest transformation as the world’s premiere toy piano virtuoso.
