NEW YORK, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- American classical music composer Andy Akiho's concerto for ping pong which combines the rhythm of sport and music will have its American premiere on Tuesday as part of the New York Philharmonic's Lunar New Year gala.
The Philharmonic's violinist Elizabeth Zeltser and percussionist David Cossin will stage Akiho's Ricochet, Concerto for Ping Pong, Violin, Percussion, and Orchestra at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in downtown New York City Tuesday evening, and the performance will be joined by ping pong players Ariel Hsing and Michael Landers, the youngest-ever U.S. Women's Singles Champion and Men's Singles Champion, respectively.
Ricochet is a playful concerto which perfectly combines the rhythm of sport and music, and juxtaposes an intricate polyrhythmic score for violin and percussion with the comparably random sounds of an actual ping pong match, said Columbia Artists Music LLC (CAMI Music). Two ping pang players volley along in approximate tempo, first with paddles, then tambourines and glasses, and - as a cadenza - against a bass drum and a gong.
The piece was premiered in Shanghai, China, on July 18, 2015 at Shanghai Symphony Hall by Shanghai Symphony Orchestra conducted by conductor Huang Yi with Zeltser, Cossin, Landers and Hsing. It was commissioned by 2015 Beijing Music Festival and 2015 Shanghai's MISA Festival.
Akiho, an acclaimed musician and steel drum player, has written numerous celebrated works of contemporary classical music. He was awarded Underwood Commission prize by American Composers Orchestra in 2014.