Hot Air Festival
The next most notable performance was Jerry Liu’s Suite 7 Days, with 7 vignettes starting with Monday. A student of Cello, Liu composed and performed the works which feature some of the most unique fingering on a cello I’ve seen. Absent of bow, the instrument was plucked pizzicato as well as strummed like a classical guitar. The left hand fingering was highly reminiscent of classical guitar fingerings, but the pulsating and driving chord progressions were really a class unto themselves. Showing both cohesion and a variety amongst the seven days, Liu evoked the essence of each day. The instrument was fitted with an electronic pickup and aided by a small amplifier. The volume without amplification would be very low because of the strumming style of the fingering. Liu was not reading any notation.
February 7, 2011 by mmoglen