Catalog Number–MC101
Number of Discs–2
Duration–128:20
Price (includes domestic shipping)–USA$25
Price (outside USA, includes shipping)–USA$30
"A natural musical genius who continues to surpass himself."
– Tim Page The Washington Post
"The evening felt downright historic. [Hersch] conjured volcanic gestures from the piano with astonishing virtuosity. Everything unfolds in open-ended, haiku-like eruptions, though built on ideas that recur throughout the 50 movements, from a lamenting, chantlike melody to passages of such speed and density you'd think the complete works of Franz Liszt were played simultaneously within three minutes. Overtly or covertly, The Vanishing Pavilions is about the destruction of shelter (both in fact and in concept) and life amid the absence any certainty. And though the music is as deeply troubled as can be, its restless directness also commands listeners not to be paralyzed by existential futility."
– The Philadelphia Inquirer
"If the symmetries and proportions of Mr. Hersch's music evoke the grounded fixity of architecture, its dynamism and spontaneous evolution are those of the natural world. Its somber eloquence sings of truths that are personal yet not confessional… Within the sober palette, the expressive power and range are vast."
– The New York Times
Michael Hersch is a remarkable composer and virtuoso pianist, whose concert appearances have dazzled audiences and whose recordings, driven by glowing critical acclaim, have won him an international following. Musical Concepts is pleased to announce the highly anticipated release of his epic piece for solo piano, The Vanishing Pavilions, premiered by the composer in Philadelphia during the autumn of 2006 to rapturous reviews.
Michael Hersch
The Vanishing Pavilions
Michael Hersch, piano