PERFORMANCE VIDEOS

Rêverie per pianoforte (1964) by Germaine Tailleferre

Recorded live, Mills Hall, University of Wisconsin-Madison on March 18, 2019; DS Standard 5.5 TM (7/8) Steinbuhler piano; Baoli Liu, Piano Technician ; Video production by Dave Alcorn @Microtone Media.

Amy Beach, Dreaming, Op 15, No. 3

Jess Johnson, piano. Recorded live, Mills Hall, University of Wisconsin-Madison on March 8, 2019; DS Standard 5.5 TM (7/8) Steinbuhler piano; Baoli Liu, Piano Technician; Video production by Dave Alcorn @Microtone Media.

Isabelle Eberhardt Dreams of Pianos (2007) by Missy Mazzoli

Recorded live at Collins Hall, University of Wisconsin-Madison on March 4, 2022. Cindy Stefanek, dancer. Kate Corby, choreography.

Azuretta by Regina Harris Baiocchi

Jess Johnson, piano. Recorded live at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Collins Recital Hall, May, 2021 on a DS Standard 5.5 TM (7/8) Steinbuhler piano. Baoli Liu, Piano Technician. Video production by Dave Alcorn @Microtone Media.

Azuretta (“Little Girl Blue") is my musical reaction to a debilitating stroke Dr. Hale Smith suffered in 2000 AD. It was unbearable to witness my mentor, friend and master composer rendered mute and paralyzed. Hale was such a vibrant man who loved to talk, hold court; and he had the goods to do so. Unfortunately, Hale subsisted in a mute, paralyzed state until he passed 24 November 2009. Fortunately, Hale's incredible legacy speaks for him and itself. (Regina Harris Baiocchi)

Preludes for Piano by Elena Ruehr

Jess Johnson, piano. Recorded live at University of Wisconsin-Madison, May 2021; DS Standard 5.5 TM (7/8) Steinbuhler piano. Baoli Liu, Piano Technician; Video production by Dave Alcorn @Microtone Media.

Preludes for Piano

I. a solitary figure at water’s edge…

II. a storm approaches land

These first two preludes are descriptive and were written in homage to the Debussy Preludes, with the titles at the end. They were inspired by the landscape of my childhood, along the shores of Lake Superior in Northern Michigan.

III. Swing Set

This virtuosic prelude uses a twelve tone row in a playful way, first outlining it as a swinging bass line with counter rhythms, and later occurring as shorter 4-5 note subsets that recall stylistic periods as diverse as minimalism and romantic piano music. (Elena Ruehr)