“Pat Metheny’s An Imaginary Day is morphing into a not-so-imaginary percussion concerto—to be performed this week by the Philadelphia Orchestra at its Thursday-through-Saturday concerts,” writes David Patrick Stearns in Tuesday’s (3/28) Philadelphia Inquirer. “The much-lauded jazz guitarist will not be on stage at the Kimmel Center. Imaginary Day: Concerto for Vibraphone, Marimba, and Orchestra is actually the brainchild of principal percussionist Chris Deviney, a Metheny admirer who has been eager to bring together the two musical worlds and the listeners who come with them…. Deviney … built and orchestrated the concerto from three extended cuts … from the decorated jazz guitarist’s 1997 album…. The 10-year gestation of the piece began when Deviney pitched the idea for the piece to Metheny after a concert at the Wilmington Grand Opera House. Deviney recalls Metheny’s asking which three cuts from the album he wanted to adapt. ‘I told him. He thought for a second, looked up at the ceiling, and said, “Yeah, I think those would work well.” ’ ” Says Bramwell Tovey, who will conduct and play piano, says, “Not every orchestra has an attitude of, ‘Let’s give this a go.’ But these kinds of things happen in Philadelphia.”
Posted March 29, 2017
