Music and Color at the Lincoln Center

Today's Young People's Concert at the Lincoln Center was more polished than the previous one that opened the new season. This concert deconstructed Debussy's beautiful La Mer highlighting Debussy's innovative use of timbre and harmony. There was also an interesting on-stage interview with composer Michael Torke discussing how his synesthesia affects his work. While he sees colors when he hears music he lamented that, for him, the opposite is not true otherwise he could visit the Metropolitan Museum and simply take dictation! The orchestra also played two of Torke's pieces including Bright Blue Music a piece in D major which the composer "sees" as the color blue.