Ode To Gravity:
Conlon Nancarrow (Special Edition IV of IV )

In an interview by Charles Amirkhanian with Conlon Nancarrow at this Mexico City home in 1977, the composer reveals details of his compositions for one or more player pianos including the equipment needed to hand-punch the holes into the piano rolls. Reminiscences of the artists residing in Mexico City from the 1940s on, including Diego Rivera, are recounted. There are recordings of several "Studies for Player Piano" presented, and in one instance, a composition for traditional instruments (String Quartet). Nancarrow prepared a piano roll of the first movement of his “String Quartet” so that he could hear it. On this broadcast, this piano roll is presented followed by a recording of a performance of all three movements of the Quartet played by the Kronos Quartet. This program provides a fascinating look at an artist who discovered a unique medium in which to display his extraordinary compositional skills.