In the summer of 2018, the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris played host to two exceptional, polyvalent musicians.
First up is Elliot Galvin, the then 27-year-old British artist who was already being hailed as one of the most original, rhythmic pianists of the new generation. He uses the entire piano to create unique soundscapes – wood is tapped, strings are plucked, keys are manipulated with rare creativity and versatility. Galvin is a multi-instrumentalist whose curiosity lies at the heart of his sounds. He also experiments in electronic music, plays the African kalimba and the micro-tonal melodica (an instrument capable of producing micro-intervals that he invented). For his first solo performance in France, Galvin is utterly spellbinding, improvising from start to finish on a singular and gripping musical voyage.
The second part of the concert features Craig Taborn. Also a multi-instrumentalist, playing piano, organ and keyboards, this American artist is oscillates between acoustic and electronic, between free jazz elements and classical music strokes. Taborn is as versatile as they come, having appeared on over a hundred albums while challenging and reframing the boundaries of genre and instrument. Here, he demonstrates just how impressive a stage presence he possesses, at times caressing the keys and at others hitting them with the ferocity of a boxer, bounding in his chair in full physical unison with the sounds he creates.
This is an excellent concert, showcasing two of the piano's most impressive improvisers – the audience's sense of space and silence is tested while other sections are as bombastic and fiery as it gets.
