Lawrence Davis, Executive Director Bloomingdale School of Music's Executive Director Lawrence Davis is also a conductor and composer with a wide-range of musical tastes. "I think you have to be open to new sounds and ideas and let them come to you like driftwood you pick up on the beach. I tend to enjoy music and performers who are innovative and slightly iconoclastic." In choosing specific recordings, Lawrence places the emphasis on a specific piece or composer whose work he is interested in, and less on the performer. "Frequently, I will find the name of a piece by a composer I am interested in and search through the iTunes store till I find a performer whose work I know and trust." Always looking to discover new works, he often connects to music through movie soundtracks. "I love the way Wong Kar-Wai uses music in his films. I discovered Michael Galasso's music through one of Mr. Wong's films." Lawrence also finds new music through attending concerts. "I learned about Kevin Volans from attending a concert of the Kronos Quartet in San Francisco and I first heard Petris Vasks by listening to the dancer Bill T. Jones talk about him on Breakfast with the Arts." Finally, the Internet has opened up new sources of listening and Lawrence has recently discovered artists and pieces through online sites. "I learned about an amazing collaboration between Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, and Pharrell called "Us Placers", by following a Youtube link in a blog!" Lawrence recommends the following pieces and recordings to "anyone interested in discovering some different musical sounds." Artist: Truls Mork, cello, and the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Eiji Oue Album: Aaron Jay Kernis: Colored Field, Musica Celestis, and Air Why Lawrence likes this particular artist/album: I wish I could say there was a reason I bought this version, but I bought it on iTunes and it was the only recording of Air, written for cello and orchestra, available there. I bought Air, because I had heard it several times on the radio over the years and every time I heard it, I loved the piece. It is very lyrical and the orchestration is amazingly skillful. It sounds like part Ralph Vaughan Williams and part John Adams. The piece is also written for violin solo and orchestra, but I prefer the cello version. Artist: Orquestra de Cambra Teatre Lliure Album: Astor Piazzolla: Concierto pour Bandonéon; Tangos Why Lawrence like this particular artist/album: The Concierto pour Bandonéon is a hauntingly beautiful work. It is gritty, energetic, lyrical, rhythmic, and well crafted. Astor Piazzolla had his feet in two worlds—the seedy, passionate world of Buenos Aires Tango and the world of serious classical music. This piece is perched between those worlds and dramatically reflects Piazzolla's range as a musician. Favorite track(s) on the album: Track 2 "Moderato", the second movement of the Concierto, is perfect, demonstrating the full power of expression of the bandonéon and of Piazzolla's writing. Artist: Keith Jarrett Album: Dmitri Shostakovich: 24 Preludes & Fugues, Op. 87 Why Lawrence like this particular artist/album: Bach is not the only composer to have written two sets of preludes and fugues for the keyboard. Dmitrti Shostakovich also wrote an impressive set of preludes and fugues. Keith Jarrett, who is known primarily as a jazz player, has done an amazing recording of the the works. The pieces themselves are so rich and imaginative and Jarrett's laid-back playing style is just magic when paired with this material. Favorite track(s) on the album: Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C Major has a very simple and beautifully crafted fugue I just love. Prelude and Fugue No. 10 in C# Minor shows another side of Shostakovich, very fast and demanding on the pianist, flawlessly performed by Jarrett. Finally, Prelude and Fugue No. 20 in C Minor has a grand orchestral sound that reminds me of Mussorgsky.