Short Summary

This project will provide funding for the world premiere recording of two piano works by composer David Toub, performed by the great Belgian pianist Stephane Ginsburgh and released on Maria de Alvear World Edition. 

The works are quartet for piano (2010) and for four (2012). Neither of these pieces have been previously recorded, but have been publicly performed by Stephane Ginsburgh in Brussels, Belgium (quartet for piano) and by the Monacan pianist Nicolas Horvath (for four) in both Collioure, France and Kyiv, Ukraine. Some would consider both works to be minimalist or postminimalist. They are both very quiet and focused.

What We Need & What You Get

We need at least $1500 to get this going. That will cover (after the fees paid to Indiegogo) the recording costs (approximately $800-$1000 USD, depending on the number of takes), an artist fee for Stephane Ginsburgh and will also help defray some of World Edition's costs. This is considerably less than what is usually required to record and produce an album, and is due to the generosity of both Stephane Ginsburgh and Maria de Alvear. 

Why fund this album?

• This will permit a high-quality studio recording of two recent piano works that have been publicly performed in Belgium, France and Ukraine and were well received 
  
• We need more new music, particularly on independent labels dedicated to releasing non-commercial music
• Depending on your contribution, you will be able to select from several cool perks, with which you can amaze your friends
• This is anticipated to be one of the first, if not the first, downloadable album from Maria de Alvear World Edition
• These are two works for piano that are very personal and, I hope, distinctive. quartet for piano is very different from some of my other works that are more overtly repetitive; it is a highly focused work that is very sparse in its use of tones and has but a single dynamic level throughout. for four is actually an open-instrumentation work that can be performed by any four individual instruments/voices or by any keyboard. It is part of a series of works (the others include hevron-deir yassin and 300) in which every measure contains a chord followed by silence. 

Both works are not easy to perform, nor are they for everyone. But Stephane is more than up to the challenge. He is one of the best pianists out there, and is considered one of the finest interpreters of music by Morton Feldman, Frederick Rzewski and many others. He has already premiered quartet for piano, which was a virtuoso feat, and plans to record both of the works on this album in long takes, minimizing the editing time.